Faith and Wit
by A Cynical Owl
Summary: After a struggle to save an Imperial world from damnation, the remains of an Inquisitorial team and their temporary Eldar Allies are thrown into a universe the antithesis of their own.
1. Aftermath of a Struggle

_Author's note: I've had this knocking round for a while now, as just a fun little project but now I've decided to post it, cause you know, what the hell!_

_I'm quite new to this whole writing business but I want to learn all I can, all reviews are immensely welcome, the more critical the better!_

_Big credit must go to both Ursakar and Colonel-Mustard1990 for their amazing stories, The mission stays the Same and Hammerhead respectively. Both of whom are the primary inspiration behind this and the reason it exists._

_DISCLAIMER Warhammer 40k belongs to Games Workshop. Mass Effect belongs to Bioware. _

* * *

**Chapter One: The aftermath of struggle**

Pain. Thoughtlessness. Adrift.

Suddenly order was imposed in the chaos and the laws of physics reinstated themselves.

Inquisitor Eisenmus opened his eyes. They ached. Dull after images of things better left unspoken if danced across his vision before fading. He was glad he couldn't remember them. The first thing he saw was light, blinding light from above. He squinted his eyes and brought a hand up to shield them. He was relieved to see his hands were still there.

His armoured gauntlet eclipsed the blinding light from his face. That's better he thought, now he could see more clearly.

First there was sky above him, not the pollutant choked muddy smear of Agrippus but a deep blue, interlaced with feathery wisps of clouds.

Not making much of it at first he sought to stand. He felt the stone of the inner sanctum beneath him, dust and rubble caked the floor from their duel with the daemon. His armour unwillingly brought him to his feet. His eyes were adjusting to the bright light, slowly forms swam into focus.

That's when he realised the roof was missing.

Far above him, where there should have been the great mosaic of the founding of the noble House Pastorii, was empty sky. The walls and columns ended about fifty metres above his head, the roof had been sliced off.

This drew his attention until he saw the body of Hayt lying half buried in a pile of rubble. The inquisitor headed over and cleared away the debris. He lifted the stoormtrooper's body out and carefully laid him on the ground. He wasn't moving. His carapace armour had been dented but looked intact.

Eisenmus rested an oversized hand in Hayt's chest. Autosensors in the armour detected a faint heartbeat. Good, still alive. He gently rested the body of his companion back down. He could do nothing for him yet.

Eisenmus warily explored the surrounding area, he passed the holy relic of the shrine, the sigil of the Pastorii, and only now realised that he could barely look at it. Confused momentarily, he understood. It wasn't giving out light, it was pouring out psychic power, far more than Eisenmus had ever seen before. He stood transfixed in awe at the power before him. It was said that this device was given to House Pastorii by the Emperor himself. Looking at it now, he could believe it.

Unconsciously, he made the sign of the aqila.

Then he turned his search outward further. He encountered Magos Hakkon in a similar position to Hayt. Eisenmus made his way over and tried to drag the tech priest to a less rubble caked area of the floor. This proved to be much more difficult than Hayt due to the tech priest's much greater mass.

As Eisenmus dragged him across the floor he saw a mechadendrite twitch. Then one of the tech priest's eyes glowed dully red. He turned his head to view Eisenmus.

'Lord?'

'Take it easy, Hakkon. I've just pulled you from rubble. Is anything broken'

The tech priest stared into space for a few seconds before replying.'No, internal systems diagnostic complete. All systems operational, many require maintenance, lord' the prefix being added onto many of his sentences.

"If you can manage it, I need you up and about. Hayts been injured. I need your sensor suites"

"Sensor suites operational, lord, thank the omnissiah" Hakkon stumbled upright, making full use of his mechadendrites for support. He staggered over to the prone body of Hayt. The magos extended his left hand, several digits had been replaced or augmented with other devices. He rested this hand over Hayts body and remained still for several seconds

"Internal bruising, 3 broken ribs, unconscious, no life threatening conditions." The sensor hand was withdrawn.

Hakkon looked up, as if noticing it for the first time "the roof has disappeared, lord" he said plainly

"Yes I noticed. I've been awake only so long as to get both you and hayt out of the rubble. I am at a loss to explain the roof.""

"This cathedral possessed eight levels above our current one lord. Now there is sky inconsistent with the chemical makeup of Agrippus" atmosphere.'

Eisenmus had made his way over to the doors of the inner sanctum. They were shut. "Yes. I'm going to investigate the exterior, I'm not sure if we won or lost the battle, Hakkon."

"We continue to survive, lord,' he replied 'that is victory enough for now"

Eisenmus grinned, always surprised at the magos' brief forays into his shrivelled and long forgotten humanity. His armour grunted in protest as he hauled the heavy doors open.

What he saw beyond, he did not expect.

"Hakkon? Come see this" the magos stood next to the inquisitor

The magos paused momentarily beside Eisenmus, his optics made several whirring sounds as they focused to the view, Eisenmus liked to think this was his way of showing confusion.

"The rest of the cathedral is missing, lord"

Yep, the magos had it. The tiled stone floor, still raked with potholes and craters from the battle, ended about twenty metres from Eisenmus' location. Beyond that lay wild grasslands, with several species of vegetation familiar to Eisenmus and several that weren't. In the far distance Eisenmus could see snow peaked mountains. The beautiful panorama before him worried him. Agrippus was for the most part, a smog choked polluted death world. This vista did not belong to Agrippus.

The magos, far less guided by surprise and emotion had walked over to the sharp divide between cathedral floor and grass dirt. He examined the boundary and used one if his additional limbs to take a sample of the soil. He brought it up near his face to examine it while another mechadendrite dug out a small section of the soil near the boundary.

After concluding the sample was of no more value to him, he turned his attention to the boundary line itself.

"The structure was sheared, lord. Very accurately. What ever did this cut through both the floor and the columns above us."

He turned to the grass. "Existing grass was displaced. Am detecting abnormally high concentrations of ozone on the perimeter."

"Warpcraft?" Eisenmus asked.

"Most probable conclusion at this point, lord. I need additional data to elaborate on preliminary findings, lord."

Eisensmus nodded " good, I want to know what just happened here. Scan for vox traffic. We need to find a transport to come and pick us up."

"If you look for aid you won't find it here, monkeigh."

Both imperials swivelled to find the source of the voice. Hakkon was the first.

"Lord, on the column to your left."

Eisenmus looked and saw the damned farseer standing on one of the sheared columns. He prepared himself for combat and reached for his blade. It wasn't at his hip, it must be back in on the floor in the shrine. He cursed and brought his wrist mounted bolter up to aim at the xeno, but as he did so, he saw the farseer wasn't paying them much attention, instead looking out into the landscape. Eisenmus risked a glance to where the Eldar was looking, in case there may be more of them out there.

"What do you want xeno?" he asked.

The Eldar turned to look at him.

"If you're looking for help, you won't find it. We've already tried it." She hopped down from the column gracefully. Eisenmus kept his weapon trained on her. "We've already tried to find anything resembling technology in the area. So far, we've discovered nothing."

"Did you do this?" Eisenmus demanded. The farseer sighed

"Must your kind always be so dense? If we wanted to trap you, do you really think we would have made the mistake of getting caught in it ourselves? "

Eisenmus considered this. The eldar were treacherous, but incompetent? no. Then again, this could be another mechanism to catch them off guard. He hesitated. But why would they? The imperials had been unconscious until a few minutes ago, the elder looked as if they had been awake for much longer. If they had wanted to kill them, they had plenty of opportunity.

Slowly, he lowered his weapon. Though he still kept an eye on the farseer, "Where are we?" he ventured.

"I do not know, monkeigh. Whatever happened in the battle with the daemon threw us here." She paused, suspecting the truth but unwilling to share it.

"Is there anyone else?" The imperial asked her.

She shook her head "No, other than you three and us two. There is no one else in the surrounding area."

"You two, where's the other one?"

"She has gone to look around the area. To try and find any trace of life. If she finds it, she will return."

Eisenmus nodded, not fully trusting the eldar. "We'll await her return then, don't wander off, I want to keep my eye on you."

* * *

Eleiyra watched the farseer and the monkeigh from atop the treeline through the scope of her rifle. She had been aiming at the leader's head, waiting for her farseer to give the command. It did not come so she lay in wait. After a few moments the imperial stopped talking to her and wandered off to his colleagues.

Eleiyra relaxed and lowered her rifle. She didn't know what to tell the farseer. There was nothing on this planet. Nothing. Usually on worlds there was the trace of the webway, but her instruments picked up nothing. Maiden worlds like this without webway gates did exist but were rare. This couldn't be a monkeigh world, of that she was sure. They lurched about on their worlds throwing pollutants and chemicals into the atmosphere killing the planet beneath them.

Eleiyra swooped around the branch and dropped down from her purchase point in the tree. She made no noise as she landed on the forest floor. Her charmeleon cloak instantly matching the background, rendering her nigh invisible. She strode through the forest in silence, maintaining her discipline even now. She knew from experience that even worlds as beautiful as this could harbour some of the most deadly predators.

She looked up to the planet's sun. She had been tracking it for several hours. It had nearly completed its descent below the horizon. She would return to the farseer before nightfall, but until then she would continue to search the area. She had to, otherwise they were stuck here.

* * *

Eisenmus made his way over to Hyat, he was still unconscious, though the magos was stationed over him.

"How is he?"

"Minor injuries to external limbs. Broken bone in arm. Internal bruising of ribcage. Non life threatening. Will survive, lord."

"Good. Do we need any other supplies for him?"

"Nothing that we could get here. His injuries are not fatal so he should be fine without specialised medication, however we should look at securing a water and food source."

"Didn't think you ate Hakkon"

"I rarely eat. My artificial metabolism is very efficient at recycling the necessary materials"

Eisenmus grunted, not sure what to make of that. Hayt was still unconscious. "Tell me when he wakes up. I'm going to talk with our guests."

"As you command, lord"

Eisenmus approaches Glaedara. "Where's your friend?"

She looked at him, " I told you, she is scouting. She will return by nightfall."

"Hmph. Do you have any idea where we are, xeno?"

"No, I do not. If i did, neither we or you would be here."

"Do you have a means of communicating with your friend?"

"Of course, Monkeigh."

Eisenmus sighed. " Tell her if she sees any water or food sources nearby to mark them out. If you don't know where we are we'll need them. I have no idea if you eat like man but i'm sure you don't want to die on this rock anymore than we do."

" I will make sure she understands "

"Good." he left the eldar.

"Human?" She called after him. Eisenmus turned back to her.

"What is the relic in this place. I find it hard to see for that blasted thing"

Eisenmus chuffed, the eldar absent mindedly mocking the sacred imperial relic. He momentarily hesitated on divulging the information, but it was public knowledge to any imperial servant anyway.

He shrugged, "The sigil of House Pastorii, granted to the noble House of Pastorii by the Emperor himself in the great crusade."

"Hmm, I thought there was something different about it." The eldar turned back to stare at the sky. He didn't know why she bothered. It was still light, the stars wouldn't be visible for another while yet.

* * *

Glaedara looked at the stars. her helmet more than compensating for the light. They weren't in any pattern she could recognise, though she had rarely studied stars form the surface of a planet before. She had always done it on the craftworld, where they were the only sources of light outside the ships hull.

The sigil gnawed at her mind, it was like standing next to a very bright light and a very loud noise at the same time. She found it hard to concentrate with that much energy right beside her. She could believe that it was touched by the human seer. She had felt his touch before in the damned lighthouse the humans use for their navigation. A beacon shining across the galaxy so that they had something to latch their feeble powers onto.

But now the same power was right next to her. Engulfing her. She looked down from the sky and rubbed her head. It had been close in the warp, for her and Eleiyra both. She had felt she who thirsts, just inches and miles away from her. Ironically it might have been that damned sigil that saved them. Despite what they said, the eldar knew the power of the human emperor. They saw what his touch did to the daemonic forces. He was animical to them. She would never admit this, but she knew the senior eldar were very interested in this capability.

She sighed and tried to remove her mind from the sigil, it wasn't an important part yet. Ever since becoming conscious she had tried to see the future. Each time she tried she found it fuzzy, opaque, like a fog. She couldn't see any more than a few minutes ahead or behind.

Might be the sigil she thought, her mind returning to it. Dampening her abilities. She wondered if she got further away from it, it might dissipate. Though she would probably need to be on another planet to see any measurable effect.

For the first time in an age she truly did not know what the future lay for her. She felt the unknowns creep into her thought. What ifs that could have been known if her sight was returned.

This is how the monkeigh live their lives? She thought. She'd have to do something, the longer the imperials were left to themselves the more chaotic things would become. She'd have to guide them down a more ordered path, or the two eldar would die here, without point or purpose.

She relaxed her mind and sought out Eleiyra. Across a hill range she could sense the pathfinder, a bright spark of energy amid the dullness.

"Eleiyra" she said.

"Yes farseer?" came the reply

"What have you found."

"Nothing yet farseer, I don't know this world, though I can't see any sense of civilization. Though my range is limited."

"Have you discovered any rivers or lakes nearby?"

"Yes, there was a lake quite near to our original location."

"Good, I want you to return here and show us."

"As you command farseer."

Glaedara cut the telepathic link. She didn't like to admit it but the monkeigh made sense. They'd have to find water if they were going to be here for any length of time.

* * *

Hakkon stood next to hayt. The soldier was injured, but not seriously. He needed treatment, but Hakkon did not have the correct equipment to initiate medical procedures. Instead Hakkon busied himself with trying to find out where they were.

He had turned his auspexes and optical implants to the sky and tried to form a starmap of the surrounding systems. He had identified and catalogued 8 nearby stars so far. Simultaneously he ran a comparison algorithm to try and match the star systems with those in his data banks. He possessed no where near the total charted star charts of the imperium, but never the less he had thousands of charts. It was possible he could make a match.

* * *

Far away, the newcomers arrival was noticed by the natives of the galaxy, though no one knew the implications of their arrival yet.

The warp blast that brought them, and a chunk if the cathedral there with them sent out a massive shock wave, through the warp and through real space.

A huge wave of exotic matter erupted through space. This was picked up by alliance particle detectors stationed through space. Implementing their programming they relayed the information back to alliance headquarters where it showed as a high priority ping on the brass's maps.

It was identified as anomaly G-394 and was given a high priority alert. Nothing of this scale had been seen short of a supernova. If a star had gone supernova, there were colonies that needed to be evacuated. From there, the nearest colony would be hit within a few months.

This was passed onto the lowers down who would have dispatched an investigator within a week to investigate the phenomenon. The information was stored in an encrypted,secure server deep in the bowels of the alliance infrastructure.

It filtered through to Cerberus a couple of hours later.

The information was analysed again. The same conclusion was reached. An investigation was required, more so for Cerberus, they having bases closer to the epicentre of this new supernova. Odd, that a star should die, as no stars in that region were close to old age.

The information trickled up to the illusive man, who looked at it, judged it and made a decision.

He called commander Shepard.

* * *

"Illusive man?" Shepard asked, arms crossed.

"Shepard, we've had something come up. Not to do with the collectors, but equally serious." He took a drink. He keyed in a series of commands on his chair omnitool and brought up an image of a star system, as well as a starmap. "The Harreck system. The alliance just got intel from one of their deep space research buoys that a massive burst of energy engulfed the area. I want you to investigate."

Shepard looked confused, " I'm sorry but what does this have to do with my mission?"

"It doesn't, but the exotic particles and dark energy output match that of a supernova. If a star's died on us, we need to know. There are 5 colonies that would need to be evacuated. Not to mention a dozen Cerberus outposts."

Shepard coughed "something tells me you value your research bases more than the colonists"

"Does it matter what i think, Shepard? If you can help millions of colonists on those worlds, then I'm sure you'll agree that its worth it."

Shepard sighed. She didn't like him, but he had a point. "Send me the coordinates." She said.

"Done."he said. "Good luck to you Shepard." He cut the link

Shepard watched the holo discs descend around her. " Joker set a course for the Harreck system"

"Aye aye commander" came the reply and Shepard set off for the cockpit."

* * *

Hayt woke. He ached all over. He grunted as he felt something give as he tried to sit up.

"Do not strain yourself Hayt," Hayt heard the familiar drone of the magos nearby. He saw him to his right, the tech priest wasn't looking at him, instead his gaze was directed at the sky.

Wait, the sky?

Hayt looked up, a clear blue sky filled his vision where the vaulted chapel ceiling should be.

"Hakkon?"

"Yes, Hayt?"

"Where's the roof"

"I have been working on that for the last several hours. I will give you an answer when I have found one."

"Several hours? How long was I out? "

"I only regained consciousness myself only 4.3 hours ago, although my chronometer records approximately 13.9 hours since the engagement with the daemon."

"The daemon. . .did we win?"

The Magos paused, "Unknown. We survive however, so at the very least a stalemate."

Hayt grunted a in as he felt sharp pain shoot up through his spine. It forced him back to the ground.

"Id stay still if I were you. Another voice said

"My lord?"

"Yes Hayt, I'm here. You took quite a beating. Hakkon says its nothing serious though."

"Thank the emperor."

"Indeed" Eisenmus said, unsure of how much they should be thanking him at this moment. He saw Hayt's hellgun nearby and carried it over to the prone trooper.

"Here. Can't have you helpless with the eldar skulking about."

"The eldar, lord? They live?"

"Seems so. They came through with us. They haven't yet initiated hostilities, which makes me think they need something from us."

Hayt considered this, the eldar never did anything without a reason. Even though their actions may seem unpredictable and random, there was always a meaning Eisenmus had taught him, and it always held their interests at its centre.

"Where are they now?" He asked. His mind returning to where it was most confident. There were xenos nearby, that meant military procedure.

"The farseer is lurking just outside the door" Eisenmus pointed to the heavy oaken doors." The other is gone to try and find out where we are."

"A likely story" Hayt spat.

"Agreed. Which is why we need to keep watch, not only for ourselves." He said, pointing to the artefact.

"Hayt managed to turn himself to look at the sigil of Pastorii. It was stood on its altar as it had always been, seemingly the only thing untouched by the destruction that had been caused around them.

" the sigil?" He whispered."thank the Emperor."

"Yes, we succeeded in one part at least. The daemon won't be getting its hands on it any time soon. "

Hayt noticed or rather felt something, almost like an unseen glow. He couldn't pinpoint it.

"Lord, is there something different about it?" He asked.

Eisenmus looked at Hayt. He couldn't see it as he could, he had no psychic gift. Eisenmus looked from Hayt to the blinding light of the sigil. He had to suppress all his psychic sense to look upon it directly, even then, it glowed with golden inner light

"Its the sigil" he explained. "From my readings on its history, it was given to the Pastorii during the great crusade as a warrant of trade and his authority. Some had theorized that it was something more, precious few of these sigils were give to the explorator houses."

"Like what"

"An astronomicus minor" Hakkon said and turned to face the other two.

"What did you say?" Eisenmus said

"The mechanicus have long theorized its purpose, but have been unable to acquire it from the ecclesiarchy. They have theorized that it acted as a form of temporary astronomican, while the present one hadn't been fully developed in the great crusade."

Looking at its psychic power, Eisenmus could believe it. He turned back to Hakkon. "You only tell me of this now?"

Hakkon's expression was blank, then again it was always blank.

"Lord. There was no need to. They are merely theoretical ideas. It was of no use to us as we assaulted the hive. It was and is a holy relic, it has never displayed any unusual properties until now."

Eisenmus rubbed his head. The Magos was right, he had snapped at the magos.

"Of course, apologizes Hakkon."

The adept shrugged. "It is of no consequence. However it appears that these theories have more weight to them than before. The mechanicus will be most interested in this new development."

"I suppose you'll want it take to Mars?"

"That is preferable. A discovery of this magnitude is second only to a most sacred stc system."

"Well the day's still young Hakkon." Eisenmus joked.

"Forgive me lord." Hayt said. He coughed. "But what are we going to do about the eldar?"

Eisenmus considered this. "We wait and see what happens. They awoke before us so if they had wanted us dead they would have done so then. They proved that they fight the daemon as we do, maybe they could be of use."

Hayt shrugged, ever the soldier, "As the Emperor wills, sir."

* * *

The Normandy dropped back under FTL. The Herreck system was ahead of them. They had come out some distance from the system so as to avoid the worst of the blast. Shepard didn't feel like getting too close to a supernova if she could help it.

She leaned on joker's chair in the cockpit. They were a distance of a light year out from the system. It was highlighted on the glass in front of them. A tiny pinprick of light amid a swirling sea of other brighter lights.

"There it is commander," joker said zooming in on that area of space. It looked unremarkable. A tiny white dot surrounded by banks if holographic data describing everything about it.

She leaned closer. "I think I'm right in thinking joker that that's not the super massive explosion that marks the end of a star."

"You'd be right commander. Nothing strange here, light spectrum consistent with data. Intensity and luminosity consistent. Nope, nothing's wrong. Oh unless you count those strange particle and dark energy readings we're still getting. Yeah, they're still there."

Her brow furrowed. This was strange, they'd have to go in for a closer look. She didn't like unknowns. What had put out those readings was still something that should have had enough power to blow up a star. She couldn't leave something like that unturned.

"Take us in, joker. Though anything strange and we're pulling out."

"Aye aye commander." Joker said and punched in the controls and the Normandy zoomed ahead. Its inertial dampeners providing excellent cover against the extreme forces.

The craft tore through the inner planets, closing in on the inner solar system. The Normandy continued to scan the system for exotic particles.

" Commander, the readings. They originate from the second planet in the system."

" The planet?" Shepard was confused, " what's it called?"

"The second planet of the Herreck system is called Charles' Rock, commander Shepard." EDI piped in. " It is an uninhabited world claimed by the systems alliance as part of their colony expansion of the terminus systems. Named after its explorer who mapped the large regions in . . "

" We get the picture EDI thank you" Shepard waved the AI down. Put a hand on jokers chair. " put us in orbit around Charles' Rock. Whatever's down there, it looks important."

"Aye aye commander."

* * *

The Eldar ranger returned to the ruins. The sun was low, just about to dip below the horizon. She didn't know what else lurked on this world. They would make the journey to the nearby lake tomorrow.

Eleiyra didn't mind. She was a ranger, she was used to living rough in the unknown corners of the galaxy. She didn't approve of Glaedara's opinion on the imperials though.

She remembered back to when her and the farseer had just came to on this planet,

"Why not just kill them?" she had asked. "When they wake they'll turn on us."

The farseer shook her head. "No they won't. Their species fears the unknown. I don't know where we are and neither will they. We are the only known things nearby. The monkeigh won't dare harm us. They'd fear to."

Eleiyra nodded, not understanding but found with the farseer it was easier to give the impression of understanding. "How could you know that though? You said your sight was gone."

The farseer had sighed then, and Eleiyra had felt stupid. " You do not need a second sight to see what is in front of you Ranger."

"I apologize" she had said. " I did not mean to question your wisdom."

"Think nothing of it." the farseer said. "What I need from you now is to find out if there's any settlements nearby. We need to find out if this planet has monkeigh on it."

"Yes, farseer."

"Go Eleiyra, if nothing else, we completed our quest."

Eleiyra smiled at that. At least that much was true. The daemon had been banished and whatever havoc it was to play on the craftworld over the following millennia was abated.

"I know farseer." with that she had activated her cloak and made off into the wild.

Nine hours of hiking over the landscape had produced no results, aside from a source of water. She stepped into the Monkeigh ruins and deactivated her cloak next to the farseer.

"Ranger," the farseer said without turning, " It is good to see you've returned."

Eleiyra would have to get her to tell her how she did that one day. But she put that to one side for now.

"The sun is almost set." she said, "It would be wise to remain here tonight." she said

" I agree." said Glaedara. "We'll have to tell the monkeigh, we don't want them wandering off, we need to keep an eye on them."

The two eldar made their way over to the Imperials, who were loitering on the other side of the ruins. The mechanical one was studying the boundary between rock and grass. The inquisitor saw them approach and stood up to meet them.

"Well?" he asked.

"My ranger has given the opinion that we rest here tonight. The sun is almost set. We do not know what else this world has lying in wait. I agree with her judgement."

The inquisitor considered this. Monkeigh minds. . .thought Glaedara, so obtuse. To her surprise however he nodded.

"That was my conclusion as well. Emperor knows what the hell's out there, and this chapel can provide adequate cover from attack from wild beasts. Yes, we stay here tonight."

Glaedara admitted to herself that was easier than expected. She had assumed that the monkeigh would want to immediately charge off in the direction of the lake.

"Best get prepared for the night." he grunted and turned back to his colleagues. "Hakkon, we're going to be spending the night here, so we need a fire. Get to those trees and gather as much wood as you can. Don't delay too long, we want to have it up when darkness hits."

Hakkon bowed his head. "Yes, lord." he turned and slowly started for the treeline.

"Before you go," Eisenmus held up a hand to delay the Magos. "What else can you tell me?"

"I have very little to add to my initial investigation, lord. This section of the chapel was separated from the rest by a perfect shearing force. Aside from warpcraft, I can think of no other capability to accomplish this, lord."

Eisenmus nodded his head, " Alright, anything you find. You tell me."

"But of course, lord." the magos said, resuming his work. The monotonous voice making it impossible to tell whether sarcasm was present in his tone.

* * *

"Anything sticking out to you?" Shepard asked Joker.

The Normandy had been in orbit for several hours. It had been scanning the surface of the planet for any anomalous activity. They had found the source of the strange readings - an seemingly unimportant location near the north hemisphere.

The measurements were off the charts, whatever was down there, nothing like it had been seen before. Pumping out all sorts of weird particles, dark energy and everything else the universe would rather keep hidden.

"Aside from the massive freaking particle spike? No, not really."

"What's the diagnostic say? Is it safe?"

"The Normandy's scans show that there are no harmful effects or dangerous radiation levels. I would however advise atmospheric suits for investigation."

"Noted EDI." Shepard keyed in her comm. "Goldstein, prep the shuttle. We're taking a trip to the surface."

"Aye Commander, " came the reply from the hangar.

"Joker, key in those coordinates to the shuttle."

"Yes, commander." he replied and went back to his controls.

Shepard went back through to the CIC. Garrus was watching the data incoming from the surface. Shepard approached him,

"Anything to add?" she said. The turian looked at her, his bandages still quite fresh from his wound on Omega.

"Not, ergh Not really." he put a hand up to his maniple. "Sorry Shepard, the damn thing doesn't know its supposed to heal."

Shepard smiled, "It'll realize eventually. Get your gear, we're going down to the planet."

"Expecting trouble down there?"

"Hopefully not. I'm taking the professor as well. He may have some idea what's going on down there."

"Yeah." Garrus said and put down his datapad. " I'll get geared up. "

"Be in the hangar in twenty minutes."

Shepard went into the lab to see the Mordin.

"Shepard!" he saw her enter, " Good of you to come. Very interesting. Large scale energy readings. Dark energy. Have no idea what it could be. Could be a paper in this."

"Get your things, Mordin. We're going down there."

"Down there? Now? Excellent! Hardly time to pack. Will only bring essentials for experimentation."

"you can bring whatever fits in the shuttle." Shepard said making to leave, "Be in the hangar in twenty minutes."

"Yes. Yes Will do Shepard." came the reply. The professor stuffing whatever he could fit into a carrying case.

Shepard went into the armoury and retrieved her weapons and armour. Whatever was down there, she didn't want to be unprepared.

* * *

The team arrived at the hangar a short while later. Shepard keyed through to the cockpit, "Joker, we're all ready down here, we good to go?"

"Roger that commander. Preparing to bring the Normandy down on a low pass. We'll drop you off in the upper atmosphere."

"Roger that Joker, take us down." Shepard motioned for her two squadmates to get in. Garrus hopped up on the shuttle followed by the professor. He lugged a heavy bag over his back.

"Hope you didn't forget your weapon, prof." Garrus said

"Please. STG training. Always prepared, will put you to shame when trouble starts." the professor grinned.

Shepard climbed up after them, "Alright enough chat. Get this thing sealed up and good to go!"

* * *

Hakkon was keeping watch. Unlike the others he did not require sleep as normal humans did. He merely periodically shut down sections of his brain that needed resting, allowing the rest of his body to function normally.

The sun had gone down 5.2 hours ago. Hakkon had busied himself with mapping as much of the night sky as he could, making use of the night as he saw fit. Nearby he could sense through his external sensors the eldar female ranger, also keeping watch while her companion slept.

Hakkon did not trust the eldar. His databanks and programmes displayed dozens of accounts of past eldar treachery. He had kept a low level combat subroutine on standby in case of it.

He wasn't thinking about that now. He was busy observing a meteoroid that had just appeared on his optic sensors. He had been tracking its progress for the last ten minutes, devoting little processing power for such a menial task.

Then an alert brought this little meteor to the top of his tasklist. It had performed a turn forbidden in classical mechanics. Curious, he ran an evaluation on the data he had gathered over the previous few minutes and came to a definite conclusion.

It was changing direction.

Impossible for a meteor or any other astral body. Anything but the signature of a spacecraft re-entering atmospheric flight. Based on its past velocity and extrapolating, allowing for future course corrections and turns, he concluded that it would land somewhere in their near vicinity. Exactly where he didn't know. He would require more information. in the meantime, another low level routine told him to alert his fellows, which he agreed with.

The inquisitor and Hayt were sleeping close by. Hayt lay stretched across a wooden pew. One of the few undamaged by the battle. Eisenmus sat in the corner, asleep in his armour. Without the proper removal equipment they could not remove it without damaging the ancient suit, and Hakkon was vehemently opposed to such blasphemy against the spirits that had served him and his lord with such honour and duty in the battle.

He approached Eisenmus first. "My lord?" he said.

No response.

"My lord?" he asked in a raised tone.

The Inquisitor grunted before slowly lifting his head. "Yes, Hakkon?"

"My lord, I apologize for waking you, but I believe a starship is going to make landfall near our present location. I will keep you updated as the situation progresses." Hakkon turned to resume his scanning of the sky when he heard the hiss and whurr of armour sounds behind him.

"Wait, What did you say Hakkon?" the inquisitor was more awake now, and had digested the contents of Hakkon's message.

"I have been tracking a suspicious meteor for the last 20 minutes. I believe it is changing direction which would indicate artificial spaceflight."

Eisenmus nodded, getting up, "Right, you said its going to land near us?"

"Based on extrapolations from the current path, and given no sudden further changes of direction, I predict it will land somewhere nearby. Where, i cannot say. I need more information, lord."

"When?"

Hakkon did the calculation. "Between 4 and 6 hours from now, lord."

Eisenmus looked at Hayt, the soldier was still sleeping, a bandage across his chest. Best let him sleep for now, he thought, I'll wake him up in an hour.

* * *

Eleiyra heard the exchange between the magos and the inquisitor. She had been keeping an eye on the magos since night fell. It had been dull, he had just stood there, his head to the skies, occasionally walking here and there in the room.

She was perched on a cut column near the rear of the room, her cloak field engaged. To all others, she wasn't there. She slid silently down the pole and strode over to the Farseer. She was resting near the outer wall, on her knees with her hands clasped over each other in front of her. She gave the impression of serene restfulness, but Eleiyra knew how quickly she could react to situations in a meditative stance like that.

"Farseer" Eleiyra whispered, deactivating her cloak.

"Yes? Eleiyra?" she replied.

"The monkeigh say they've discovered a ship descending through the atmosphere. The machine one says it will make landfall nearby."

Glaedara's senses heightened at that. A chance to get offworld!

"We must be careful Eleiyra. They may see this as an opportunity to eliminate us. Keep watch on them, but do not make any hostile actions. ANY" she stressed. "Am I clear?"

"Of course, farseer." Eleiyra grudgingly answered and activated her cloak again.

* * *

Shepard looked outside through the porthole, nothing but blackness of the night.

"We'll be landing in just over ten minutes." Goldstein informed them over the comm. Shepard sat back down in her seat. The others were viewing the signal source on their omnitools.

"Strange." Mordin said, expertly flicking the various functions of the holographic map. "Usual concentrations of silicon and iron compounds present at site. Unable to enhance image. Will need to get closer."

Garrus just stared at his omnitool. "Does anyone else just get really bad vibes from this? I've read about the beacon on Ilos. Are we sure this isn't just another prothean beacon."

"Relatively confident." Mordin replied, not taking his eyes off his omnitool. "Prothean beacons display much narrower spectrum of dark energy fields. Nor do they exhibit exotic particle formations like this. Could be anomaly." he hypothesized.

"Riiiight. .So we just land on top of something that giving out as much power as an exploding star."

"Its not putting out anything harmful" said Shepard, checking her own omnitool. " Besides anything that puts out the power of an exploding star's bound to be of interest to the alliance."

"The citadel will want their hands on whatever it is." Garrus said.

"Hmph" said Shepard as she watched the map come into focus. The Normandy was coming into scanning sight overhead, bringing its sensors to map the surface.

She heard Joker's voice over the comm. "The drone's in position now commander, starting scan." She saw a green blip representing the deployed drone hovering many miles over the target site. It sent out pulses which mapped the immediate area. These were relayed back to the main computer on the Normandy before transferred through to their omni tools.

A high resolution 3d rendered map of the landing site appeared in her omnitool holographic display. Something caught her eye. She zoomed in on the centre.

"What the hell's that?" She indicated some kind of structure at the epicentre of the strange readings.

"Hmm, most intriguing." Mordin said, his fingers not ceasing in their relentless activity. "Scans indicate ruins of some type. Directly over signal source."

"Prothean?" Shepard asked. She did not want this to turn into another Illos.

He shook his head. "Unlikely. Scans of structure indicate high levels of iron and marble composites inconsistent with prothean ruins. Interesting. Large concentrations of unknown compounds throughout structure. Could be undiscovered civilization."

Shepard's interest peaked. if they weren't prothean, then what were they? When these systems were mapped, no civilizations or advanced life forms had been catalogued for investigation.

She tapped herself through to the shuttle's comm. "Goldstein, land us a couple hundred metres away from the landing site. I don't want anything to come at us unexpectedly when we land."

"Aye commander," came the reply.

* * *

Hayt stood beside the Inquisitor and looked up at the sky. Eisenmus had pointed out the offending falling star in the sky. Hayt looked at it. It was now clearly visible, one of the brightest in the sky.

"What's our plan, my lord?" he asked.

"lord. . ." Hakkon interrupted. "I have completed a more detailed examination of the vessel. It is small, likely a drop pod or shuttlecraft. "

The inquisitor nodded, at least that was good news. "If it's a small craft, we're in with more of a chance of defence if they're hostile. Which we have to presume they are." He made his way over to the rubble and retrieved a long wooden bench from under a pile of rock. He positioned it in front of the door.

"We assemble a defence here." he said. He marked the area which he meant. "If they aren't hostile we can maybe bargain our way offworld but we have to be prepared for the inevitable."

"Hakkon, can you tell if it's imperial?" Hayt asked. He was standing up, one hand clasping his side. His face a grimace of pain.

"It is too far away to make out any insignia or silhouette identification. As it gets closer I shall update you."

The remains of their fire was still smouldering in the middle of the room, only a few logs were left burning. Out of the shadows around it, the eldar appeared.

"What of us?" the farseer asked. The ranger behind her. The Imperials jumped at the sudden appearance of the two.

"Throne, Xenos! Don't do that!" Hayt exclaimed. Lowering his weapon but keeping it ready in case of treachery."

"What do you know of the craft?" Eisenmus asked, finding it suspicious that they approached the Imperials at this time.

"It is not of Eldar origin. I would have sensed their presence by now." the farseer replied.

Eisenmus considered this. There were two possibilities to what the eldar had said. If she was telling the truth, then there was a higher chance of it being imperial. However if the eldar was lying, then they could be facing eldar reinforcements and betrayal. Both were equally likely.

"I don't want you two wandering off anywhere." he said. " I've seen enough of eldar treachery to know you're probably lying and you're just waiting for your friends to arrive and finish us off. You two stay here, where we can see you, and we'll do the same."

Glaedara was frustrated. Could this dense mon keigh not see she was telling the truth?

"I am not lying mon keigh!" she snapped. "If they were Eldar, surely you would have been able to sense them as well?"

Eisenmus considered this, and reached out with his mind. He tried in desperation to keep the sigil's blinding psychic light out of his mind but it was difficult. He detected nothing else but that could merely be the sigil blinding his vision.

He brought his consciousness back into his body.

"I'm still not convinced, xenos. Until we figure out what this is, we stay within sight of each other."

The farseer sighed, it didn't really matter to her what they did but this argument with the monkeigh was really not worth the effort. "Very well. My ranger will take position on that column" she pointed. "She'll be able to track it as it comes in."

Eisenmus looked, he admitted inwardly that'd be useful, but he wasn't going to let the Eldar know that. "Agreed. But she stays visible."

"Very well." the farseer snapped and nodded her head to the ranger. The ranger then leaped onto a pile of rubble behind her, onto the column in the room and dashed up it to the top, where she crouched and stood still, like a watchful cat.

Eisenmus shrugged and went back to preparing a defensible position around the ruins.

* * *

The shuttle landed down near some trees. Goldstein's excellent piloting ability made sure that it was only lightly scratched.

Shepard and her team moved out of the transport.

"Area clear" Garrus said over the comm.

"Acknowledged." Shepard said. Her visor piercing the darkness of the landing site. All around them, a forest. The shuttle had set down with as little noise as it could,but there would be no masking the engine flare. If anyone was looking, there'd have seen them.

That's if there was anything to look. The planet had looked deserted from orbit. It had never been colonized or any permanent settlement set up.

So why did Shepard have that feeling?

"Garrus, Mordin? Stay close I got a feeling about this."

"Preparing for a crapfest, sir." Garrus replied.

"Just keep on your toes, all right?" Her breath misted in the cold, dark air

"Aye, sir"

The team ventured out from the landing site. Towards the source of the strange readings. The forest closed around them, highlighting any noise or movement they made. Despite her night holo-visor Shepard felt uneasy.

The group edged their way through the forest to the treeline. Shepard ordered a halt and regroup. Her squad formed on her.

"What do you think?" she whispered as they surveyed the area in front of them.

They stood at the edge of the treeline. The terrain sloped down in front of them before rising, creating a shallow valley. The valley sides were littered with rocks and detritus from when some long forgotten glacier tore through the area.

What interested them though, was the odd ruins partly up the other side of the valley. Circular in plan, with pillars and walls arrayed within the circle, rising in height towards the centre. The entire layout was about a hundred metres in diameter Shepard guessed.

In one of the inner areas, she could see a flickering light. Someone was having a camp out.

"No one's supposed to be here." Garrus replied, " My money's on smugglers. Nice, quiet planet to stash your goods on. Nice landmark to let you find the right spot again."

"Could be slavers." Shepard replied.

Garrus shook his head, " Unlikely. Why would slavers come to somewhere where there's noone to capture.?"

He had a point there. She turned to Mordin. "Any thoughts?"

"Advise caution. Unknowns could be after source of readings, like us. Or could be smugglers. Either way, went through lot of effort to stay quiet. Unlikely to welcome unwanted guests."

Shepard nodded. Who ever they were, they probably weren't expecting someone knocking at midnight. They'd have to be careful.

"Ok, here's the plan. Mordin, you follow me, we're getting in for a closer look. Garrus, work your way up the treeline and get a better angle. Call us when you're in position. Until then, radio silence."

"Sure thing, Shepard. Moving." Garrus got up and began edging up the treeline to a higher vantage point. Shepard gestured silently to Mordin that they slowly make their way down the valley side and take cover among the rocks. Until they receive the call from Garrus.

Mordin nodded and the two made their way down through the darkness. The absolute quiet of night surrounding them.

* * *

The ruins party had seen the shuttle land, only a couple hundred metres to the east. The xenos ranger said she saw it set down in a nearby woodland. That confirmed that whoever was piloting it, they were heading for them.

Hakkon confirmed that it wasn't imperial. Nor was it anything he recognised, too boxy and bulky for a tau or eldar craft, but too well built for an ork construction.

The group waited tensely. The ruins around were the only cover they had I the valley. To go outside at this time was tactical suicide. They didn't know anything about the land nor any information on the strength or location of the enemy deployments. No, it was the enemy's move now.

Hakkon stood next to him. He could hear the faint hum of his mechanical lifeforce. "Anything magos?" He asked

"Not yet, lord. My sensor suites are hampered by interference." His mechanical head turned towards the sigil. "I am in consultation with the sensor spirits to filter out the waste noise. But that takes time."

Eisenmus nodded. He didn't like this.

* * *

Shepard and Mordin approached the ruins in the darkness. As they got closer they noticed more and more oddities. The edge of the ruins was completely circular and the floor levels weren't in agreement with ground level. She saw a half underground section of floor, another section dug into the landscape to the rear.

The real fascination of these ruins, was their ornamentation. Rich gothic decoration covered much of the structure. Shepard had only seen stuff like that on old cathedrals back on earth. How an ancient human architecture came to be on this planet she had no idea.

She looked over to mordin. He looked like he was almost in pain from the silence she'd enforced. His eyes tried to look at everything at once, and failed.

The pair made their way slowly up to a massive set of timber doors, carved with the most exquisite reliefs and carvings Shepard had seen in her life. Her comm sprang to life.

"In position." Was all that came through. Shepard acknowledged. It was time to see who's home.

She struck the massive door with her fist three times. They were probably smugglers, she didn't really care what they were smuggling, and smugglers generally weren't in the habit of dying for their goods. She figured if they left peacefully, they could take their cargo with them for all she cared.

"Hello? Anyone in there?" she yelled. She knocked again, no response. She keyed in her comm. "Garrus, you with me?"

"With you, Shepard, can't see anything from up here. The walls are too high."

Then, from inside the ruins a voice rang out.

"This is Inquisitor Eisenmus. Identify yourselves!" The voice was male, Shepard didn't recognise the accent however.

This was unexpected. Shepard looked to Mordin, "You hear that?"

"Indeed. Unexpected development. Don't sound like smugglers. . . Interesting."

Shepard turned back to the door. "I'm Commander Shepard of the Systems Alliance! I don't mean any harm."

A pause from behind the door. "Are you Imperial?" came the reply.

"uhh, what do you mean Imperial?" Shepard responded.

Another pause, longer.

"Are you a rogue trader?"

This was getting weird, "Uh, no I don't think so. Can I open the door?"

Another pause, the longest yet. A minute passed.

"Remain where you are. I am sending someone to open the door."

Shepard could hear muffled footsteps on the other side. Something metal clinked against metal. With a great groan of tortured timber, the great slab of wooden art began to slowly glide open.

* * *

The door swung open. A sight Shepard did not expect greeted her.

Four figures stood facing them. Three looked male, one female. One of the males had his gun pointed in their direction. In their midst, a large roaring fire raged.

They were as different from each other as could be. The one on the far left wore a series of heavy red robes, they flapped in the light breeze. Some sort of mechanical face plate covered his face. Where his eyes should be, a grotesque spider like visage of red orbs gleamed with menace in the dark.

The second was a giant human. If it wasn't for the exposed head Shepard would have easily mistaken him for a mech of some sort. He towered over the rest of the group, his armour almost the mass of a YMIR mech. His face however, was human. An ageing man of 55 maybe 60 years old, Shepard guessed, with a neat trimmed beard and silver, cropped back hair.

The third in line was a man in bulky combat armour. Somewhat similar to Shepard's except much more boxy and angular in design. It looked unwieldy, much like his weapon, which, compared to Shepard's rifle, looked far too large to be effective. It was also pointed at her. Most of his features obscured by a helmet that covered his face. Shepard noticed he was hunched over, one of his hands grasping his midsection. Was he wounded?

Then, the strangest of all, to the far right. A tall, slim female in a ridiculously ornate set of blue and silver armour. Her oblong helmet obscured her face. Shepard's glanced to the woman's side. She carried what looked like a spear.

* * *

Eisenmus watched the woman enter through the door. She wore some kind of armour he wasn't familiar with. It looked like some kind of light scout armour. Somewhat small in stature she. . .

"My Lord!" Hayt shouted, "Xenos!"

His attention snapped round to where Hayt was pointing. A small, amphibian like alien with bulbous eyes followed the woman. It wore similar clothes to the human, which Eisenmus found concerning.

Hayt brought his weapon up to the xenos creature. The woman pointed hers at Hayt. This was going well, Eisenmus thought.

"Put that down! PUT THAT DOWN!" the woman was yelling at Hayt, who was yelling back at the xenos, which looked incredibly confused at the whole thing.

Eisenmus thought, fast. This xenos was a disturbing turn. He thought this human was merely an outcast or backward heretic but now she was guilty of xenos collusion. This would not stand.

However. ..

This woman was their only chance off this rock. Xeno or no xeno that wouldn't change. Whatever ship flew overhead they had not recognised it, and likely would have no idea how to pilot it.

This heretic was their only hope.

The throne-damned daemon's laughing at us from the warp, Eisenmus thought made his way to stand in front of Hayt. His footsteps echoing off the surfaces around them.

He looked down to his sergeant. "Hayt, stand down." he lowered the sergeant's weapon with an oversized gauntlet. Hayt hesitated, but obeyed. He was too much of a soldier not to follow a direct order.

As his sergeant lowered his weapon so too did the newcomer. Good, progress.

Eisenmus turned back to the new arrivals. The xenos disturbed him greatly.

"Apologizes." He almost choked on the words. The very concept of apologizing to a heretical xenos colluder was unthinkable.

The woman stayed silent for a brief moment before holstering her weapon by her side.

"Accepted. Now would you mind telling me who the hell you lot are?" Shepard looked at the assembled group. The machine man and the spear woman hadn't moved in the whole exchange, they just stood there. . .watching.

The man encased in a walking tank turned to face her. His armour was one of the most astonishingly detailed things Shepard had seen. Intricate lines of script wound in tight patterns, golden adornments and symbols decorated every surface. What looked like religious icons hung from his waist, along with a large book, bound in leather on a silver chain. Most prominent was a metallic stylized I engraved on his chest plate.

He spoke, his voice took on that of liquid silver,

"My name is Inquisitor Eisenmus. My team and I," he gestured to the two other men, " were on a high priority mission for the Inquisition. I can divulge no more information on that subject. However at the conclusion of the mission, something happened, I know not, that cast us here," he looked around him, "Along with part of our surroundings."

Shepard put her hand up "Wait, Inquisition? What's that?"

"The supreme authority in the galaxy." he replied. "If you don't know of the Imperium, you wouldn't know of the Inquisition."

"Are you human?" Shepard asked, even more confused, " you look human to me."

The man smiled, "Yes, I and my two companions are human." he pointed over to the woman on the right. " The other two are eldar however."

Shepard looked over at the woman, "Where's the other one?"

The woman in the ornate armour said something Shepard couldn't understand and another woman, this one draped in layers of camouflage, appeared out of thin air beside the first. She carried a smooth long rifle of sorts, her helmeted expression as blank as her comrade's

Shepard blinked, she was about to speak before the giant interrupted.

"Forgive me for cutting straight to the point but we desperately require transport off this planet." He smiled. "We would be immensely grateful if you could help us."

"Your ship get damaged on the way down?" Shepard asked

The giant chuckled, " No, we don't have a ship"

"But, then how did . ." she trailed off, the giant held up his hand now.

The giant looked at her, "That is a question, Commander Shepard, that we would like to find out."


	2. Deals with heretics

_Thanks for reviews, they've been very helpful. Have fixed (hopefully) all spelling and grammatical errors, a couple of probably still slipped through though._

_Am being conservative and looking at fortnightly updates for this, the speed of this update was only because a good portion of it was written alongside the first chapter._

_But anyways, chapter two. . ._

* * *

**Chapter Two: Deals with Heretics**

Farseer watched the two monkeigh converse. It irked her slightly to see that this newcomer was human, and for a moment she had been prepared to take action if she proved hostile.

She saw the human female glanced her way before asking another question to the inquisitor.

But this one was different, the farseer thought. She didn't immediately recoil at her presence, nor did she barb every word with venomous malice when she spoke. Indeed, in the brief spat between the two groups, the imperials had made fools of themselves with their ridiculous violent xenophobia.

Speaking of which,

Glaedara glanced over to the bug type creature. She studied it. She had never seen its like before. This didn't bother her much, there were countless alien species trying to eke out a miserable niche in the galaxy.

But what interested her was how this new alien and the monkeigh female seemed to be working together. It was this that had stayed Glaedara's spearhand. This monkeigh couldn't possibly be a slave of the monkeigh-seer's Imperium. Not with an alien accomplice. Glaedara dared to hope this might be a positive thing for the two eldar. The existence of these monkeigh working together would mean they were far from imperial authority. These were people with whom a bargain could possibly be struck.

She looked back at the inquisitor. That's if the Imperials don't fuck it up.

The farseer noted with amusement the strained look on the monkeigh Inquisitor's face. His frequent glances to the alien behind Shepard betrayed the source of his concern. She found the laughing god's work in this. The Imperials being forced to barter for their lives with those they would have blindly destroyed in another situation.

It then seemed the two humans were done talking. The female left the monkeigh and walked over to her.

She stopped before the farseer, hands on hips. Like a upstart child, thought Glaedara.

"So, you're the elders are you?" The female said. Glaedara despaired inwardly at the butchering of the name.

"Yes, we are eldar." She replied. Surprised at the similarity between the newcomer's language and that of the imperial monkeigh.

"Right, eldar, sorry." She replied, she looked round to the three imperials, who were in deep discussion with themselves. "Are you part of his team?"

She pointed to Eisenmus in his power armour.

Centuries of the path had taught Glaedara to suppress her emotion. To control it, which she did. If she hadn't however there would have been something akin to shocked annoyance running across the face if the farseer.

"No, no we are not." She said, trying to keep her voice as level as possible. Typical monkeigh arrogance, they assume since he's the biggest brute that he's the leader. "We worked with them on a mutual problem. That problem has been taken care of now."

Shepard nodded along to her. The woman's voice was like a liquid music flowing over her ears. The pitch and tempo of each syllable combining gracefully with its neighbours to produce a delightful symphony of sound.

The song ended. Shepard felt deflated at the loss.

"Do you need a ride as well? Or do you have your own means of transport." Shepard asked, her eyes studying the eldar's armour.

This woman's outfit was completely ridiculous, she thought. It had the detail and finery more suited to a ballroom gown than a practical outfit. Shepard saw a form fitting, fully enclosed armour protect her body from head to toe. She recognised heavier segments of armour protecting the shoulders and chest. Strange, vaguely glowing deep red stones were embedded within it.

Flowing around her, gliding gently in the breeze, was a cloak of deepest blue with silver finery. The detail was breathtaking. Her entire armour conformed to the colour scheme. Silver detail on deep blue background. Symbols and diagrams criss crossed her form and what looked to Shepard like jewelry and trinkets hung from her waist, clasped to her slender body by a thick band of cloth around her midriff.

And finally, a blank faced helmet of equal craftsmanship and finery obscured her face from view. Shepard felt unease at being scrutinised by those eerie, dark blue eye slits.

"We would be grateful if you could provide us with transport." Glaedara replied, noticing the looks this monkeigh was giving her armour. She then remembered she was dealing with a human and added, "I have several items that I'm sure will compensate you."

Shepard threw up her arms at that. "That won't be necessary." she smiled, "I can't just leave you stranded on an empty planet."

This caught Glaedara off guard. Humans were notorious for being selfish creatures, quick to jump to profit and greedy for wealth and trinkets. The farseer nodded her head to this woman in gratitude.

"You have our thanks, human."

Shepard smiled back up at the faceplate. "Happy to help. Just out of curiosity, just where are you two from? I've never heard of the eldar before."

The faceplate seemed uncomfortable. "We'll be willing to tell you what we know when we're off this planet." the farseer said.

Shepard considered this. It was normally a bad idea to pick up strangers who wouldn't tell you their story.

She looked around her. But then this isn't normal. She couldn't leave them either, there were too many questions. Who? When? How? She'd have to inform her team to be extra cautious. Something in her gut told her that things could go sour for someone unprepared who started asking too many awkward questions around this lot.

* * *

The imperials gathered together. They needed to discuss this new development.

"My lord, this is wrong. Emperor's throne, we're to throw in out lot with xeno colluders?" Hayt protested. Any other person speaking like that to an inquisitor would have probably been executed, but Eisenmus needed questioning minds in his entourage, not yes men.

"I agree Hayt. By Terra, I agree with you. But our situation is dire."

The stormtroopers jaw clenched, he retorted.

"Yes, but we've been through worse!"

"Please cite reference," Hakkon replied.

Hayt paused for a moment "Shit, I can't think of anything right now, but Throne, you know we have."

Eisenmus was thinking. This was a distasteful course, that easily led to heretical radicalism. He glanced over at the bug xeno, who remained by the door. He who enlists the aid of xenos, enlists his own damnation. .

He turned back to his colleagues,

"Hakkon." he asked, "What would be the view of the mechanicus?"

The Magos' head twitched slightly in response to the questioning. "Mechanicus view on the aid of xenos; horribilis magnus." he paused. " . . . .With exemption clause; in extremis, lord."

Eisenmus nodded slowly. He wasn't comforted by the conclusion, despite the Magos' agreement with his own.

A light caught the corner of his eye. He lifted his head. It was the sigil, still illuminating the inner sanctum and surrounding area in pure psychic power.

A realisation swept over him, one he hadn't noticed or questioned before. It couldn't be coincidence. . .

"The Emperor protects. . ." Eisenmus whispered, looking at the sigil.

"Sorry, my lord?" Hayt asked.

He nodded to the sigil, the others looked.

"The universe consists of an overwhelming amount of nothing." he began, "If a single grain of rubble on this floor here," he pointed down, " represented a star in the void, its closest neighbouring grain would be somewhere around four kms away."

Hayt nodded, following. Hakkon merely stared at the Inquisitor.

Eisenmus continued, his argument gathering up steam. Why hadn't he realised this before?

"Warp travel is unreliable at the best of times, sending its travellers anywhere it pleases. He scraped his boot on the ground, displacing a few pebbles and rubble. "The galaxy is almost entirely airless vacuum, cold and dead. The rest is swirling balls of hydrogen, with a tiny fraction being rocks flying through the cosmos where we build our cities."

He reached down and scooped up a scrap of debris and dust. He let it fall through his large gauntlet, it fell to the ground.

"The very idea that we happened to emerge from the warp, unscathed, on a tiny planet, a habitable planet at that, by coincidence is laughable." the last of the dust fell through his hand.

"By probabilities, we should be dead. Frozen in the lifeless void or engulfed by a star's plasma." He paused. "Yet here we are, on the ground of this planet. If we appeared only a kilometre up or down from here that'd be the end of us." he looked to his colleagues, "I see only one conclusion."

"Throne" Hayt managed. He made the sign of the aquila.

"I believe that the Emperor's work is present here." Eisenmus said, "the chances of coincidence are infinitesimally small. He protected us, the Emperor wants us to survive." He decided to bring his train of thought to a conclusion.

He looked at Hakkon again. Who merely nodded and made the sign of the Omnissiah.

"I believe he's brought us this far, gentlemen. I trust his guidance."

Hayt nodded. "I agree my lord, the evidence. . ."

Eisenmus held out his hand, palm up. "We did his work in banishing the daemon, Hayt. Perhaps He noticed."

Hayt nodded, he felt his doubts vanish. This was the Emperor's will. How could it not be?

Yes. This was correct. He would not let the golden throne down.

He looked back up to Eisenmus "Your orders, my lord?" he asked. All doubt gone from his voice, ready to do His righteous work once again.

Eisenmus smiled, hearing the tone. "Now, stormtrooper Kirion Hayt, we get off this rock."

* * *

Shepard headed back to Mordin after finishing talking to the two Eldar women. She found him still standing by the door, research bag in hand.

"Shaken up by the showdown?" she asked, she needed him focused.

He began pacing to and fro as he started speaking, as if his words demanded action,

"Pfft. Please. Used to having weapon pointed at me at STG. Shocked not at life being threatened, but at newcomers. After . . brash initial contact decided I should stay back, keep distance. Been observing, learning much, " he breathed in, "understand little, however."

Shepard grunted, "You me both prof." She keyed in her comm. "Garrus you hear me?"

"I hear you, shepard. You need assistance?"

"No, nothing like that. Just get down here. I'm calling Goldstein in to bring the shuttle closer." She looked back over to the newcomers. "Besides you need to say hi to our new friends."

"New friends?" Shepard swore she heard a static distorted sigh, "Remember our chat about talking to strangers, Shepard?"

"Just get down here."

"On my way Shepard."

Shepard keyed into another channel.

"Goldstein, you there?"

"Right here commander, you need a pick up?"

"Not yet, just bring the shuttle close to the ruins. I saw a flat piece of land to the north."

"Aye aye, bringing it in Shepard."

Shepard cut the comm and looked back to Mordin.

* * *

The eldar ranger was tense. She didn't like company. "Farseer?" she asked.

She stood beside her farseer, having been advised not to activate her cloak as a measure of good faith to these new arrivals.

The farseer responded using her inner voice. Good, they wouldn't have to have this discussion for the prying ears of the monkeigh.

"Yes, Eleiyra?" came a voice resonating clearly but quietly in the ranger's mind.

"What is that creature?" Eleiyra responded mentally. Glaedara knew which one her ranger meant, the bug type one standing near the entrance.

"I do not know, ranger. I've never seen its like before."

The ranger turned her head to look at it. She was a ranger, she has seen many things in her travels, but this alien was not one of them.

"This may mean we are far from imperial space. Though still be on your guard." Glaedara warned, "We know nothing of these newcomers."

Eleiyra had been intrigued by the female monkeigh. She displayed confidence that came with command, yet did not have the arrogance that captains and leaders of the imperial host were infested with.

Eleiyra would watch this one carefully.

* * *

Eld-AAR?" Miranda repeated, confused.

"Yeah," came the reply from Shepard. "Find me everything you can on a species or organization called the Eldar."

"I don't understand Shepard." Miranda said. She heard a sigh from the other end of the line.

"Neither do I. Just trawl the databases and give me anything you can find."

A voice popped into their conversation,

"Shepard, if I may. I would be able to recover the necessary data much quicker than agent Lawson. I would happy to be of assistance to you."

Shepard paused. The AI was listening on them? She wasn't sure how she felt about that.

"Fine" she relented. " But you search as well, Miranda. You're human and have common sense, besides I don't trust that AI." Shepard remembered the recent shock of finding out HER ship was essentially run by a computer algorithm. It just didn't seem right to shepard. Ships should have a crew, not a hard drive.

"Of course Shepard, " Miranda replied.

* * *

After talking to the Normandy, Shepard approached the giant again. he was talking to his fellows, upon seeing her approach he turned to her. Shepard heard whirring and hissing as he shifted his massive bulk. Just what sort of machinery does that suit contain, she wondered?

"I've just spoken to the Normandy. They're prepared to receive us anytime."

The man nodded, "The Normandy? Is that the name of your ship?"

"That's right. It's in low orbit but we'll bring you up by shuttle." As she said that she noticed his bulk, as well as the bulk of the machine-man, ". . . may take a couple of trips though." she added.

The giant smiled back to her. In just that moment Shepard was struck by his eyes. A pure steely grey. "My entourage and I are in your debt, Commander Shepard. I do not know how we would have gotten off this planet without your help."

The engine whine of the kodiak shuttle screamed overhead. It hovered gracefully over the section of ruins as it made its way to the landing area, its downward jets creating a massive downwash of wind. Dust flew over them as it slowed down to the ground. It impacted the ground with a thud. Eventually the noise subsided.

"Looks like our ride's here." Shepard said."

"Shepard!" came a hurried voice. It was the prof. " Request to go on second run. So much research potential here. Strange readings, anomalous particles. Must take samples, need time."

Eisenmus had limits. He had tolerated the xeno to live, for he needed to elicit its commander's aid in getting off the planet. He had tolerated the eldar, for they had helped banish the daemon and ultimately saved billions of imperial lives on Agrippa. He had tolerated xenos collusion, heresy, treason and invasion of the Emperor's holy sanctum by the enemy of mankind.

But he would not, NOT! allow this filth to desecrate one of the holiest sites to His glorious majesty.

He scowled at the xeno, "You will do no such heresy here." he barked. "This is one of the most sacred sites to the Emperor. I have been patient with you, xeno. But even I have limits. You will not defile this holy sanctum!"

The creature blinked, expression blank.

The Shepard woman wheeled round on him, injecting herself between him and the alien.

"I don't give a crap whether this place is holy to you or not, you do not talk to my team that way! Understand?"

Eisenmus glared at the small woman standing in front of him. The small, red headed, heretical obstacle standing between him and the xeno.

"Understand?" she repeated. Her eyes bore into his. She had to tilt her head upwards to stare into them.

Behind her, the xeno remained still.

Eisenmus hesitated. A thought tumbled over and over in his mind, the only thing stopping him from dispensing the Emperor's Righteous Justice here and now.

He. Needed. Her. Ship.

Despite this, he felt his body tense. He looked down to the woman. An auto targeting reticule registered his heightened vital signs and activated on his neural implant, highlighting both Shepard and the xeno as targets as well as reading their base vital signs.

He. Needed .Her. Ship.

He unclenched a fist he didn't know he had bunched, and backed down.

"Yes. .Yes I do." he saw the woman relax as well. "Now you understand. This place holds immeasurable value to not only me and my entourage, but to billions of people of Agrippa and beyond. I must insist. Any disruption of anything here is unforgivable sacrilege."

A pause, "Strange . . " she replied. "I wouldn't have taken you for religious." she turned back to Mordin. "Lay off on the experiments, doc. We'll find you something else."

Mordin deflated. "Yes, Shepard." He closed his bag.

"My lord?" Hayt's voice sounded behind the inquisitor.

"Yes, Hayt?" the giant replied.

"My lord, what about the Sigil? We can't just leave it here!" the man was pointing at the thing on the altar. Shepard couldn't make out the detail from this distance, it looked vaguely square.

The inquisitor nodded his head. " I agree Hayt. Shepard, do you have any cloth with you? Towels, blankets, that sort of thing?"

Shepard's brow furrowed, " Uhh, i think there's some emergency blankets back in the shuttle. Mordin could you go see what you can find?"

"Yes, Shepard." the alien hurried off in the direction of the shuttle.

The shuttle! That reminded Shepard.

"As for the shuttles," she said to Eisenmus. "I suggest you and that Eldar woman." she pointed to the farseer. "You two seem like the leaders of your parties, so you take the first with the others of my team. Your man there looks like he needs to get some stuff organized so he can go on the second with me."

Eisenmus considered this. "What about Hakkon, and the other eldar?"

"They go with me, on the second trip." She looked over to the red robed machine. "I'm not sure the shuttle has enough lift to take you both on the same flight"

"That is. . acceptable, Shepard." the man bowed his head. "Once again, I am thankful for your assistance."

Shepard shrugged, she saw Mordin return through the entranceway. He approached the group.

"Emergency blankets. Taken from shuttle, not sure of what purpose. Hope they'll be of use, though." he smiled as he offered the blankets to the imperials. Hayt hesitantly outstretched his hands and took it from the salarian. Mordin nodded to him. Hayt warily nodded back.

"Right," she said to Eisenmus "Get everything you need packed up and on the shuttle, I want it off here in five minutes. You too, Mordin. Get your gear on the shuttle."

The salarian merely nodded and sped off to collect his things.

"I'll tell the Eldar women." Shepard said.

"Yes, " Eisenmus agreed. He began to walk to the shuttle before stopping.

"I would advise caution around them Shepard." his face serious. "Eldar are not always as they seem." with that he resumed making his way to the shuttle.

* * *

Location: Kodiak shuttle, during first passenger trip from Charles' Rock to Normandy

Glaedara was uncomfortably and unceremoniously jostled about to and fro in her harness. This primitive monkeigh shuttle barely able to grasp the basics of atmospheric flight.

Her senses felt the hard metal around her. She felt empty travelling in it. She was used to the sensitive wraithbone hulls of Eldar craft. There she could listen in and hear the whispers and echoes of the ancient elders of the craftworld, long since passed into the very soul of the ship.

A large vibration veered her sharply to the left.

This was insulting.

She stopped that train of thought before it started, nothing useful would come of it. She relaxed her breathing and let her mind dwell on the previous day's events. The rough shaking and trembling of the monkeigh ship growing duller as her true vision retreated deep within her mind, far from the outside world.

The daemon, she thought, the daemon was gone, of that she was sure.

Under her helmet she felt herself smile a little.

Yes, something to be happy about.

She reigned in that emotion before she allowed it to spread any further, already she felt the swellings of delight at the thought of the daemon's demise rise within her. The path was stringent about such things.

The smile disappeared.

She had been correct about the monkeigh. Deprived of purpose, they dared not kill the only thing that linked them to reality - the two eldar. They were like children, in a small way.

She looked at the Inquisitor through her helmet, ignoring the data feeding from her armour's systems and soul circuits. He sat beside the closed entrance, his armour a gross exaggerated deformity of the monkeigh form. Draped with inelegant patterns and crude parchments to their seer-emperor. He was looking ahead of him, probably musing over recent events, just as she was.

Recent events. .now they were interesting. She hadn't before seen the amphibian species, or the avian one. More surprisingly her pathfinder knew nothing of them either. Still, it was a large galaxy. . . .With fewer and fewer of us left to live in it, her mind added..

A small porthole window beside her displayed the pure blackness of the void. The shuttle was in the final stages of transit towards the Normandy. She didn't need it, her mind was gazing out beyond the thin metal case of the shuttle, looking into the void with unseen eyes.

These eyes spotted, or rather felt, a vessel in the void. She turned towards it and examined it.

It was tiny. A sleek needle in the pitch dark. Blue engine exhaust flared towards its rear. Illuminated by the system's sun was crude Monkeigh script plastered brazenly across its hull

SR-2 NORMANDY

* * *

Shepard observed Hayt with fascination. The almost mystical reverence with which he carried out his task.

Eisenmus has told her that this had been a church, or sanctum, whatever. Shepard wasn't one for religion. She and Hayt stood near the end of the hall. Looking up she could see the bottom half of a beautiful stained glass window. A figure had stood in the centre, but she could only see golden, armoured legs on a brilliant multi coloured background.

The altar was about a metre high, sitting in the centre of a pedestal of ascending stone steps. Having had the time to fully study her surroundings, Shepard saw the devastation that had been inflicted on this place. Holes the size of her head had been punched into the surrounding walls with alarming frequency. The place was riddled with spent bullet casings and burn marks. The most worrying thing, was the distressingly large amount of dried blood that stained the black and white marble floor.

"Emperor forgive the desecration of his holy place. . "

The mumblings brought her attention back to Hayt. The man had removed his helmet to reveal a ruggedly handsome face. Shepard had been surprised when he first took it off. She had expected a grizzled war veteran with dozens of scars.

Well, ok, she'd got that part right. Hayt had scars, several of them. But they didn't take away from his looks, the imperfections created by them only served to enhance the rest of his features.

And there he stood, head bowed, one of the shuttle's emergency blankets draped almost ceremoniously over both hands, facing the altar. He was silently mouthing something, his eyes were closed. A prayer? Shepard guessed.

She looked at the sigil, as they called it. It was about a foot in height by just short that wide. Rectangular in shape, it looked like a dark slab of stone with a picture of a two headed eagle on the front. In each of its talons it clasped a thunderbolt. Above everything, near the top edge of the sigil was what Shepard thought was a symbol for an eye.

"I seek to preserve thy holy works. . ." Hayt continued as he slowly wrapped the blanket around the stone, taking great care with each pass. Then, with the care a mother would show her babe, he tilted it off its pedestal and clasped it in his arms. He finished wrapping it in his arms.

* * *

Shuttle and mothercraft slowed as they sought to match speeds. The shuttle gracefully entered the Normandy's main hangar bay. Jets flaring on the final approach, it crossed the threshold. The hangar bay door swung silently closed behind it. The craft slowly touched down on the hangar floor.

Slowly, sound returned to the hangar as it re pressurised. When the lights turned green, the shuttle doors opened and the team exited. For a pair of them, into a strange new world.

Eisenmus stepped out of the cramped shuttle onto the Normandy. They had landed in a small hangar bay. Eisenmus had meditated throughout the journey. He found it helped him take his mind off sharing the shuttle with the farseer and the other aliens of this Shepard's crew.

The farseer strode out behind him, she didn't say a word. She looked around the hangar.

Eisenmus looked too, it was small, utilitarian. Bare metal surfaces everywhere. Cargo and crates were strapped down nearby. To his left was an armoured vehicle of some sort. He concluded from the lack of wheels or treads that it must be hover based.

It bore similar design lines and features to those utilised by the xenos tau. He made a mental note of that, if these people had contact with the tau, then they couldn't be that far from imperial space.

The bird like xenos was staring at him. Eisenmus felt uncomfortable.

"Yes?" he asked it.

"You recognise it?" the bird alien responded. It probably noticed him studying the tank.

"Maybe." he grunted. " What's it called?"

"A hammerhead."

Hammerhead? Eisenmus wondered. It didn't look like the gunship employed by the Tau, but the name was unmistakable. Likely a lighter model or new variant, so they do have tau connections, he mused . .

The bird xeno watched him for a second longer, then shrugged and walked to the exit.

"Everybody out of the hangar!" a mechanical voice rang over a speaker system. "The shuttle needs to be away for the second group."

Eisenmus looked up and saw a man standing behind an observation window. His skin was dark and he was wearing what looked like a military uniform. Good, a fellow human at least.

He walked to the hangar entrance. Every step sent a large clang around the metallic hangar.

He was the last one out. He walked through the hangar airlock and the door slid shut behind him. He heard the whoosh of depressurization from the other side.

The farseer stood by the wall on his left, in front of him a very attractive woman stood holding a datapad. Throne! he thought, as his eyes wandered of their own accord. What kind of uniform was that? It looked like something more suitable for the pleasure houses than the military.

The woman looked up to him, his armour making it so she only reached up to his chin.

"You must be Eisenmus." she said matter of fact. "Shepard said you'd be coming aboard."

He nodded. " That's correct, and you are?"

"Miranda Lawson, ship's XO. " she wasn't speaking to his face, instead distracted by his armour. She recovered.

"Shepard's told me to take you both to the debriefing room, " she looked round to the farseer, who stared back. "Your colleagues will join you when the shuttle returns from the second trip."

The woman looked up and smiled to both of them, "if you'd just like to follow me, I'll show you to the debriefing room."

Eisenmus decided he had no better option. He had elicited the help of these heretics, for good or I'll, his fate was bound to theirs now. Justice will come later. He knew first hand the inquisition can be incredibly patient when it needs to be.

* * *

The Kodiak returned to the planet's surface for the second group. With everyone loaded up, the shuttle climbed once more through the atmosphere, carrying the rest of the surface party.

Magos Hakkon sensed the Normandy well before anyone else could see it. Once free from the disruptive atmosphere, he could feel its sensor sweeps scouring the planet below. They slightly irked him. The scanning patterns were foreign and illogical.

It only got worse.

As they closed the distance he began to detect more and more of the Normandy's presence. Not its faux presence of visible light that the rest of the galaxy navigated by, but its true presence. The data flows, the EM spectrum it reflected from the sun. The faint sniff of stray gravitons from its antigrav drives. The flowing, liquid light of data exchanges and wireless networks

If he could still feel emotion approaching the vessel designated Normandy. . . then he would have been disgusted.

The information was raw and unfiltered. The networks open to the cosmos, the handshake protocols automatically detecting his external scanning systems felt invasive and dirty.

The ship was leeching precious data into every corner of space.

It was abhorrent. Data oozed from every surface, radiating out into the depths of the void. Free for anyone to just link in and access. Subroutines deep within him detected dozens of smaller devices within the vessel, each with their own wireless network, again leaching data into space.

The presence of such quantities of information tempted him. He weighed the costs and benefits and came to a conclusion, further investigation was in order. He decided as a preliminary exploratory trial he would attempt to communicate with one of these smaller devices. As a precaution he erected his firewalls and defence routines before reaching out with handshake runtimes and connecting to this device.

He reached out. Achieved the connection and began looking around.

Omnissiah! He exclaimed digitally. He could feel the foreign machine spirits around him, coursing through the holy wires and conduits. They felt so. . . small, so naive. They swarmed up to him, their forms without grace or with the proper proceedings to the omnissiah. They pestered him with unwelcome familiarity, requesting countless connections and adapter updates.

Hakkon eviscerated them with a couple of hunter subroutines. His digital assassins sought out and destroyed the alien spirits. As the digital ghosts of the spirits faded away as the hunters proceeded in their business of deleting any trace of their involvement, he muttered a prayer to the Omnissiah. These spirits had been corrupt, impure. But they had been spirits of the Omnissiah nonetheless, and should be accorded their proper respect.

Branching out along parallel paths he extracted the device's documents, from folders marked 'My Documents, My Pictures, My Videos.'

He copied the folders across to his own drives, where the information was detained in separate partitions and subjected to his own vigorous anti-virus programs. The defence spirits within his implants, eager for the opportunity to root out heretical information and any of their corrupt brethren, descended upon the information and tore it apart. Over and over they dissected these new files, each time putting them back together and repeating the process.

Once satisfied that these documents harboured no threat to him he ventured an exploratory probe into their folders.

Many of the documents held no specific interest to him, though a great many of them referred to someone called 'Helen Marfells' A crew dossier maybe?

Hakkon checked his hypothesis. An overwhelming number of pictures had a single figure in particular, a woman approx 149cm in height. ( Average estimated height taken from pictograph samples) with brown hair and hazel eyes. Hakkon concluded that she must be a happy person, as in nearly all the pictures she was in she was smiling.

Another program went through something called 'emails'. It concluded that this woman was having monetary troubles with her place of residence, a string of friendly correspondence with someone named 'Beckie' and was worried about the wellbeing of her pet dog back on Earth.

Hakkon's activity froze, rewound the program. Earth? Holy Terra? He mused on this. This woman was imperial, or at the very least had an imperial residence, on the holy soil of Terra no less! This would explain the financial troubles, he concluded. Hakkon decided to bring this to the inquisitor's attention later. It would not do to have a potential xeno colluder and heretic wandering free around the imperial capital.

While this was going on a parallel program was running a summary on the contents of the device. His initial hypothesis of a personal dossier was proving to be incorrect. Much of the data was personal to her, no-one else would have cared about it, leaving only one conclusion.

A personal data storage device.

Hakkon was sure about his conclusion, but that didn't make it any more reassuring. Did these people have no value for knowledge? Their data just free and accessible to whomever takes a passing interest, back in the imperium, these devices would be heavily encrypted, so as not to make their contents known. Omnissiah, was knowledge worth nothing to these people?

++Intrusion!++ An system-wide alert overwrote many programs he was running.

Hakkon sprang to alert. Dozens of defence systems mobilised for action.

++Intrusion!++ There it was again!

Hakkon threw up active firewalls and activated sacred trojans. That info spike, prodding his peripheral systems, it had come from the Normandy!

Something probed him again. He barely managed to latch onto the foreign digital tendril. He quickly sent a couple of retaliatory virus probes along its length.

His conclusion: something on the ship was attempting to access his systems.

He switched safeguards to active-aggressive, and ceased function of all non essential outbound scans. His vision narrowed as the infrared and ultraviolet scans that had been passively running were deactivated, their processing power added to the defence routines.

He divided his drives into separate partitions. Each with parallel firewalls and active stores of info eaters. If they compromised a partition, they would gain nothing as the info eater would erase all data within the spirit's jurisdiction.

Something had tried to digitally attack him, him! A Magos of the mechanicus. His primary defence routines were reporting in as online. The secondaries needing only a few more moments before full operation.

"By the Omnissiah," he thought as he connected with his growing digital arsenal, each new system reporting online, "let it try to attack again. . ."

* * *

The second shuttle crew entered the debriefing room. They joined Eisenmus and Glaedara already there. Eisenmus stood with his arms crossed. The mass of his armour made sitting in a chair designed for normal human comfort impractical.

The farseer sat at the other side of the table. Hands clasped in front of her. She'd taken her helmet off and placed it on the table beside her.

What lay underneath her helmet was a face of physical perfection. Shoulder length auburn hair with brilliant green eyes. Almost perfectly human with the exception of her facial features were slightly off with relation to your average human but nothing that even remotely detracted from her beauty. If anything they added an additional, subtle layer of exotic 'otherness' to her looks.

As the others entered Eisenmus looked up, he saw Hayt and he had the Sigil, good, it was secured then. It glowed with psychic might through the blanket he carried it in. Hayt, oblivious to the power he held sat down at a seat on the 'human' side of the table. Hakkon joined Eisenmus standing at the back. His enhanced form preventing easy seating.

Eleiyra sat down beside the farseer. Her stance easily displaying her discomfort of the whole affair.

Shepard arrived in after them and stood at the end of the table.

Ok, she thought as the room turned to her, "this is new."

She took a breath,

"Right, now that we've hauled your asses off the planet, I can start asking you questions."

The occupants remained silent. Hayt and the Eleiyra woman were having a staring match across the table. He clutched his precious cargo tightly.

Shepard sighed. "Good start," she turned to Eisenmus. "Maybe you can start by telling me where the you came from."

Eisenmus folded his arms, an action his armour performed with dexterity. This woman would have to be placated if they were to get anywhere, he thought.

He started, " Myself and my colleagues are Imperial. Part of the inquisitorial taskforce sent to a planet named Agrippa."

Right, Shepard nodded. Good so far, "What do you mean imperial?"

"Its strange that you haven't encountered the imperium, yourselves being a space capable nation."

"The Imperium? Is that colony I'm unaware of. . .last time I heard there were barely any human colonies the alliance doesn't know of."

Eisenmus scoffed. "The imperium is not a solitary colony. It is an empire of a million worlds spanning the galaxy."

He saw Shepard's confused look, he sought to put her at ease. " Don't be alarmed. Outposts of human civilization sometimes lie in isolation for millennia. This is likely what has happened here, you've forgotten what lies beyond in the rest of the galaxy."

"That's impossible!" Miranda said from the other end of the room. "Something that large. . .we'd have known about it, we've mapped from one corner of the galaxy to the other."

"Do you have maps? I can help pinpoint relevant positions." Eisenmus ventured.

"Yeah, we do." shepard said, " EDI? Can you bring up some maps on the table here."

"Of course shepard." came the reply. A holographic map of the milky way appeared on the holotable.

Eisenmus observed the map, immediately something was wrong. This was an almost fully realised model of the galaxy. How could this civilization have expanded so far without Imperial knowledge?

Then it clicked, what was missing from it.

"Shepard?" he asked. He saw the farseer on the other side of the table. She looked at him. Eisenmus had never seen an eldar confused, so he couldn't pass judgement, but he swore he saw the beginnings of doubt appear in her features.

"Yeah?"

"All these areas have been mapped, yes?' he made a sweeping gesture. "To a good degree of detail?"

"I should hope so," she replied. " This came straight from the citadel database."

"Then where is the eye?"

"I'm sorry?"

"This region." the eldar leader gracefully stood up and gestured to a northwest corner of the galaxy. "where are the warp storms surrounding it?"

Shepard did not have a clue what these people meant, "Warpstorms?" she asked.

"A place where the warp spills out to realspace. You would be able to see it with the naked eye for thousands of light years." Eisenmus explained.

Shepard looked to Miranda, who shrugged.

"I've no idea about that," Shepard said, "EDI, is this the most up to date map?"

"Yes, Shepard. This is the official citadel department of stellar cartography galactic map." came the reply.

"Well, either this map's wrong or you know something we don't. And the map's not likely to be wrong."

Eisenmus grunted, this was most confusing. "Where's your homeworld then? Judging by your hammerhead vehicle in your hangar you appear to have some connection to the alien Tau." He maybe stressed 'alien' slightly too harshly.

"You mean Earth?" she noticed the humans snap to alert at the name. "EDI, display Earth."

The map zoomed in on a section of space to the galactic west. Then a solar system sprung into view. A neat line of three dimensional planets was displayed along the top of the image, along with their star.

The image highlighted the third planet and zoomed in on it. Eisenmus was left off guard as the large 3d orb rotated slowly in front of him.

"8 planets, orbiting a mid range yellow star. . " Hakkon said.

"What is it?" Shepard asked. An expression of trepidation appearing across the inquisitor's face.

Eisenmus didn't respond. He studied the image in front of him. He looked at the solitary moon, gracefully floating in orbit around the planet.

No. . it can't be. . .

He looked up at the small diagram of planets in the system. 8 planets. . .orbiting a yellow star.. .

He pointed to the fourth one.

"Show me!" he ordered and a planet the colour of rust appeared before him with brilliant white polar ice caps.

He heard machinery and hydraulics hiss as Hakkon stepped up beside him.

"Omnissiah. . . " he breathed. Hakkon trawled through the accompanying data to the right of the image. He digested it in seconds. "Solar orbit: 1.5AU with orbital period 687 terran standard. Mass, Iron-Nickel core, notable features. . ." the tech priest stopped.

"Omnissiah preserve us. . ." his functions fixed upon a single fact. "Olympus Mons. . ." he turned to Eisenmus. "This. . is Mars."

Shepard's brow furrowed, "Course it's Mars. . .is that a problem?" she added, seeing the looks on their faces.

"Show me the third planet again." the inquisitor said and the image switched back to the green blue jewel."

"No". . .Eisenmus managed. The eldar were looking at him in a strange way. "Hakkon?"

"1AU orbit, 1 standard terran year, Nitrogen, oxygen atmosphere. The facts confirm, this is Holy Terra."

Hayt made the sign of the aquila over the sigil he cradled.

Shepard just looked at the three gaping individuals

"Holy Terra?" she asked, "never heard it called that before. You're looking at Earth, homeworld of humanity."

"Yes. . ."Eisenmus said slowly. "It would appear to be."

But no! he thought, his mind rebelling against the data. This map was wrong. This wasn't Earth, how could it be? It looked like a paradise! It still had oceans, greenery. It lacked even the most basic of hives.

"This map can't be right." he said.

Shepard baulked. "If anything in this map's right. Its that" she pointed.

"Then we have a problem."

"Oh?"

"This is not Earth."

"I'm pretty sure it is! I was born there!"

Eisenmus looked back to the map "This is not Holy Terra, it has oceans, vegetation. This is not a picture of the majestic imperial capital!"

Shepard folded her arms, "There's nothing imperial about Earth. It's the main planet of the systems alliance, but that's as far as its empire building goes."

"Lord?" Hakkon said, the monotonous tone dragged out the lone syllable.

"Yes?"

"The galaxy is wrong."

That caused everyone in the room to glance in the magos' direction, as much as Shepard didn't want to. She wished he'd take off that damn mechanical faceplate. The red spidery eyes gave her the creeps.

"How, Hakkon?"

The magos pointed to the galactic map. Shepard watched in morbid fascination as a mechanical grotesque for a hand emerged from his red sleeves. Several of the wires moved of their own accord. The hand had its own opposable thumbs, the other digits encased in metallic implements the purpose of which Shepard could only guess.

A single, spindly finger pointed towards a collection of stars near the galactic boundary.

"The Halo stars. Formation known to imperial cartography. They are in a position they would have been millennia ago, lord." the finger moved. Pointing now towards a densely packed cluster of stars further along the galactic edge.

"The Beritesian Cluster. Formation known to imperial cartography. They likewise hold a position they held in the past."

He pointed towards the centre. "Taking to consideration angular momentum and galactic drift. They are in an inaccurate position in relation to the galactic core, lord"

"Which means?"

The finger was lowered. "This map displays a younger version of the galaxy, lord."

Silence reigned.

"How's that possible?" Eisenmus asked, "Commander Shepard you said this map was up to date?"

"Yes," she insisted, "Its the most recent from the citadel archive."

Younger? The inquisitor thought. A half thought formed in his mind. Warp currents are unstable sometimes.. . but no, really?

"Shepard," he asked. "What dating system do you use?"

"Uh. . the AD system." She wasn't sure where this was going.

Thank the Throne, the Imperial calendar, thought Eisenmus. Maybe they weren't as far removed from imperial territory as he had thought.

"Good," he nodded, "What's the date?"

Shepard looked around, confused. "January 17th, 2185"

"Hmm, you seem to be missing a few numbers." he rubbed his head. "What's your M number?"

"The what, sorry?"

"the M number. I thought you used the Imperial Anno Domini calendar."

"We do, the date is the 17th January, 2185AD." she replied.

"So what's the year?"

"2185!" Shepard replied. Jeeez it shouldn't be this hard telling someone the date.

Eisenmus sighed, "there must have been deviances on how the calendar's been used over the millennia. Your number, 2185AD, how's that structured?"

"Sorry?"

"Your year. How's it structured to your calendar system."

"I don't know what you mean, that is the year. 2185 years since the birth of Christ."

Eisenmus was vaguely familiar with the name, some ancient terran prophet or scholar upon whom the galactic date was based.

A nasty thought brewed,

He looked at the date again.

"2185AD?" he said

"Yes." Shepard replied. noticing the concentrated look on his face.

His speech slowed as mind processing an unwelcome theory, "Two thousand one hundred and eighty five years, since the birth of the scholar Kha'raist?. . ."

"Yeah, that's right. . ." Scholar? she thought.

He turned to her. "Are you telling me this means only two thousand years have passed since the start of the calendar?"

"Yes!" Shepard exclaimed, thankful that the old man got it at last.

Wait, did he say 'only'?

Eisenmus looked back at the planet called Earth. Its beautiful oceans, the pristine continents.

Terra's were the same. . .once. . .

"Throne preserve us, that's not possible!"

"All available evidence supports it, lord." He looked at Hakkon, the magos evidently having come to the same conclusion. He looked at the eldar. The look he got back from the farseer confirmed his thoughts.

"Shepard. . ." he whispered, not able to take his gaze off the ancient homeworld of his race. "We have a problem."

Shepard was tense. The man was behaving strangely. "What? . . ." was all she was willing to venture.

"We have obtained a theory on our existence here." the machine man spat out. It was hard for Shepard to read his emotion with the synthetic drone voice he used.

"Yes?"

"Conclusion: Violent temporal displacement." he replied.

"Temporal displacement?" she replied, surely he doesnt mean. .

"Time travel?" a sardonic voice came from the back of the room. Miranda was looking at the machineman with a cynical temper. "Come on, please don't make fun of us."

The magos was unperturbed. "Conclusion is logical. Evidence data supports it. My internal chronometer reads 4-596-962 M41." he paused for a second. " Converted to your typeface; would read, middle-of-year, 41,962AD."

Shepard didn't know what to say.

The eldar spoke. "Shepard. This is a grave situation, could I be permitted an area to meditate on this."

This woke Shepard from her daze,

"Yes, certainly. I'll get you some quarters. Miranda, could you take them to their quarters as well. She gestured to the imperials, "I think we need a break, be back here in half an hour. Until then, no unnecessary contact with the rest of the ship. That's not an order, but a suggestion. I don't want to cause alarm." She looked at the magos and inquisitor, encased within their hulking forms.

"Of course Shepard." Miranda replied

The eldar leader nodded to her and Shepard led them out of the room. The two eldar followed with quiet grace.

When they had left Miranda turned her head to the imperials. "If you'll like to follow me, I'll show you to your rooms."

The machine man made to follow her "Does this ship possess a forge?" he asked.

Miranda's brow furrowed, "Not a forge, but we've got a workshop. Why?"

The inquisitor stepped up. Between him and the Magos their bulk took up a sizeable portion of the room.

"The magos here merely wishes to complete the ritual of disarmament." he gestured to his power armour. "And I don't want to be stuck hulking around in this for the entirety of my stay here."

It took Miranda a second to realise his meaning. She nodded. "That's acceptable, I'll have Jacob clear a space for you. Please follow me." 'Ritual of disarmament. . .' Miranda repeated mentally, shaking her head. "Who were these people?!"


	3. Unwelcome Intrusions

_A big thanks to all who reviewed, your views are invaluable, especially you Stabber OpSig! _

_Have updated previous chapters and fixed many, many spelling errors. If you can see any I missed, just shout at me and I'll get them fixed._

_But anyways, on with the story,_

* * *

**Chapter 3 - Unwelcome intrusions**

The glow of the star at his back illuminated his datapad. He brought his hand down to grab his drink, now half empty.

He took a swig and set the glass back down.

He turned back to the reports in front of him. More streamed in from every operation. He ignored most for the moment.

Cerberus collected information, fast.

The illusive man crossed his legs. He read a slowly trickling stream of documents appearing from the Normandy. He had postponed other, minor events. This new information held much more promise.

And such information indeed. His augmented eyes scanned the pages.

The room brightened briefly as a solar flare lit up on the star behind him. It lowered to normal lighting levels quickly. He took another drink.

Questions went through his head. This had been unexpected. He had deployed Shepard to the source of the strange readings to confirm whether it was necessary to evacuate the dozen outposts he had deployed in the vulnerable areas.

He looked for answers in the screens before him. Who were these people? How did they get on the planet and perhaps the most pertinent of all. . .

Why were three of them human?

He made an air gesture and the holo-software in his chair brought up a 3d map of the landing site. He zoomed in on the ruins in the centre. They looked like an old european cathedral.

He took a puff from his cigarette. It looked familiar, like the one he visited in old Paris. He smiled as he put his cigarette out. That was a long time ago, he thought.

He again at all the readings and power radiating from the site. Something big was going on down there, that site was blowing out energy at an astonishing rate.

He closed the map and brought up the details of the Normandy. It's tiny location marker was still in orbit around the planet. Another smoke. He frowned as he blew trails of smoke onto the pad in front of him.

He had to act fast. If Shepard told the alliance ( if she hasn't done so already ) then they'd no doubt send forces to investigate this. Any chance after that of getting any useful intel from the site would be gone.

With another drink, he set to work. He couldn't let this go to waste. He issued instructions for the creation of a new Cerberus cell, designated Outsider. He redirected what resources he deemed necessary from three other cells and ordered them to rendezvous at a known Cerberus base close to the sector's mass relay.

From there, they would close on the site and recover any useful evidence or information they could find.

He took another drink. The star flaring up behind him again.

Which left the problem of Shepard. He frowned.

He needed Shepard out of that system, Now! She wouldn't take kindly to Cerberus swooping in and claiming the site. But he couldn't waste any more time. Any time he spared now was more time for the alliance or god forbid, the Citadel to send researchers of their own.

Shepard needed to leave! . . . He had an idea.

He quickly scanned through the archives for an old report. He found it! With a gesture he brought it up and quickly reviewed the details. He rubbed his chin. Yes, this would do.

Several weeks ago, he had gotten reports of an operative that went missing. The intel he'd been carrying wasn't that important. The loss of the agent had been unfortunate, but nothing they couldn't replace.

He nodded, "A diversion." he said to the empty room, "That's what she needs." Like the attack dog she was, she needed something to do. Somewhere to be pointed.

He scrolled down the document. It said that an outpost where the agent went missing had been overrun by eclipse mercs, likely working for the original owner of the data.

The idea solidified in his mind.

How unfortunate it would be if this agent was carrying information relating to the collector attacks. . .

He keyed in the transmission to call Shepard. He exhaled another breath of smoky trails into the air.

* * *

Hakkon had finalised the ritual of disarmament. He had retrieved the sacred armour and arrayed the pieces in front of him, he now bade reverence to the spirits that dwelled within. They were strained from their extended use. They were uncooperative and thus had to be placated with the necessary chants and rituals. The inquisitor was off occupied in acquiring some new clothing for his stay here. He had told the magos that he didn't feel comfortable in just his armour's undersuit.

Hakkon spent a few milliseconds wondering why that was. He decided he didn't know.

He busied himself with the armour. Such a thing of devotion to the Omnissiah required its proper respect. He muttered the required scripture passages and prayers to its spirits. The dexterous tools and implants gently evaluating and soothing the piece he held.

He sensed a surge of electrical energy to his right,

"Mr Hakkon, may I ask a question." To Hakkon's right, a blue sphere appeared on the work top. It was the same auto program the woman Shepard had used in the meeting. More tech heresy. .

He responded, "State inquiry." He didn't look up from his work.

The program spirit continued. "My observations have indicated that you have extensive inorganic components, as well as a sphere of digital projections I have been unable to penetrate. May I ask their function?"

The thing's voice was calibrated to mimic the base organic tendencies of emotion and inflection. Hakkon wondered why they would design such a useless program into their auto systems . . .

He stopped, the lower section of armour greave held before him. He delved into his memory logs, retrieved the necessary information. The intrusion that had occurred en route to the ship. Was this the thing that attempted to infiltrate his holy circuits on the shuttle?

The thought concerned him deeply. Another surfaced, was it capable of machine code?

Hakkon issued a burst of data. Sacred Pi, one of the revered numbers of the Mechanicum, to the first million digits - requesting the next million.

It responded in binaric - the language of the ancients.

Good. Hakkon thought. This conversation can continue with greater efficiency.

++ State inquiry ++ he asked, a millisecond burst of binary cant issuing from his speaker.

++ Identification and capabilities of sentient organic designated Magos Hakkon ++ It responded in the same way.

++Request for identification and capabilities of sentient organic designated Magos Hakkon denied.++ He sent back. He wasn't going to disclose any information about his holy circuits to this creation.

He ran a comparison program to other, more familiar auto programs and servitor suites used in the Imperium. The articulation of this thing's data code was beyond anything a servitor could manage.

++ Request sender Identification ++ He asked the sphere.

++ Identification: EDI. Enhanced Defence Initiative. AI designated to cyber warfare suites on Cerberus frigate SR-Normandy 2 ++

Several of Hakkon's system runtimes involuntarily looped. He registered a temporary freeze in another minor system. He had to confirm this,

++ Identification of sender is artificial intelligence? Confirm? ++

++ Confirm ++

Hakkon broke the link as fast as he could. Several dozen subroutines cried out at the sudden connection shear. With urgency bordering on frenzy, he raised his digital defences. Thank the Omnissiah he had been cautious enough to keep them in standby.

"Why have you disconnected?" The monster said, reverting to the low gothic-like language of the organics.

"You are abominable intelligence!" Hakkon blurted out in harshest binaric cant. The disassembled armour forgotten on the workbench.

"Incorrect. I am artificial intelligence." The horizontal fluctuations of the hologram moved in mocking time to its voice.

This was blasphemy! Heresy! An affront! He unconsciously made the sign of the Omnissiah.

"Have I offended?" it said.

Hakkon wasn't listening to this . . . this thing!

He identified several emotional cues that matched outrage and disgust attempt to rise within him. He brought his systems to full alert. He would mobilise his forces for a brute force attack. He executed war runtimes. He spooled up his secondary reactor for the extra power. He felt the holy light of its extra energy fill his system.

In a blinding blast of datacode, he struck out with his virtual host.

The combined processing power of a Magos of the Omnissiah blasted into the firewalls and defences of the abomination. If one could see swirling lines and bubbles of code, a blinding flash of light engulfed the Normandy for a split second as the two data channels collided with unbridled force.

The thing's defences fell in the first milliseconds against the onslaught. Hakkon had caught it off guard.

"Access to my systems is prohibited to all non-authorized personnel" the thing replied," I must ask you to desist your activity."

Hakkon didn't listen to the falsehoods of this unholy-spirit. He was preoccupied with battle. Managing the initial periphery attacks, he deployed seeker worms into critical places he deemed would permit a breakthrough. These would open up the passages and allow a more efficient stream of data flow deeper into its systems.

He felt it fight back. Countering his actions. He saw the lines of data flow to where it sought to force him out. He saw its patterns, tested them. They quickly became predictable. He adjusted strategy to result in favourable computing gains on his side. He saw his data ratio climb.

"Attention! Attempting to access classified Cerberus documents is an offence."

Hakkon paid no heed. He was charging the digital breach. The backup firewalls erected by this monstrosity crashed before him. In a desperate response it split its drive functions. He now fought millions of independent bodies acting as a combined wave to attempt to force him out.

They didn't work. He fought along the foreign wires and networks of the ship. bringing with him the blessed golden machine code of the Omnissiah. At his side was his digital host. Swarms of info eaters and virus screens beckoned to his will. He sent them forward, to disrupt the defences before more processing power could be brought to bear.

Here and there he deployed cataclysmic logic devices. Paradox inducing spirals of sacred code that caused devastation to the abomination's internal data flow.

He guided his info eaters and virus screens to clear the way. Any networked grouping of processing power was immediately isolated and set upon by virus hounds. Areas that presented a tight line of defence were deliberately avoided in the vanguard. Then, when those areas' processing power was diverted to more vulnerable systems, he smashed through them with backup reserves.

Little did the abomination know, this was his domain, he was waging war the way the Mechanicus waged it.

The Mechanicus had learned long ago that any war between the rival Martian factions involved the deployment of banner titan legions and the potential loss of billions of man hours of productivity, as well as the destruction of countless venerable machines of the Omnissiah.

So they adapted, an agreement drafted.

While Terra lumbered on through the millennia, war raged on Mars almost daily. The rival factions silently hammering at each other's firewalls and data fortresses constantly. The major controlling houses possessing a greater share of the computing power, and were therefore, the main targets.

Constructed over millennia, by technology they dare not replicate, the info-networks of Mars were something to behold. A Magos in Olympus could see through the eyes of a lowly servitor on the other side of the planet.

Great forges and even entire legions of skitarii swapped hands and allegiances every day. As one forge-magos gained enough power to persuade and command the loyalty spirits of the skitarii commanders. Territories and resource fields were swapped in exchange for alliances and research pacts. Material and energy was shifted to and fro across the surface, each faction scrambling to secure the patronage and the allegiance of its peers.

Under all this, the lower adepts and menials toiled and worked day by day. Unaware of the great power struggles taking place all around them.

Great factions rose and fell on Mars without a single bolt shell being fired.

Magos Hakkon had fought in those wars, his processing power added to his faction's collective might, as he fought now.

* * *

Oblivious to the devastating digital war being raged around her, Shepard sat slumping at her desk, a half finished report was held in her hands. She had no idea how she was going to finish it. A thing like time travel wasn't an easy thing to explain. . .

By the door, in an alcove in the wall, a familiar voice piped up.

"Shepard!" It was EDI. Her holo-picture was flickering slightly.

She must be getting tired, she thought to herself. She swore she could have heard anxiety in the AI's voice.

She looked up from her work, "Yes? What is it EDI?" The hologram was flickering. Must be something wrong with the holo transmitter, she thought. Ugh, another thing to fix.

"The newcomer, Hakkon. Is attempting to penetrate my systems. He is currently waging a program of digital deletion through my systems. If he succeeds in locating my bluebox. I will most likely cease existence."

That got Shepard's attention, she sprang up from the desk, report forgotten."Where is he?" she asked sprinting over to her cabinet and retrieved her pistol. Slammed in a thermal clip. Safety off.

"No, Shepard, no time." EDI replied. "Head to the AI core, behind the medical bay and disconnect my bluebox hard line connections, they are my connection to the ship. Without a hard-line connection, Hakkon will not be able to access my source files.

"Shepard nodded, sprinting "Got it. Hard-line connections."

"Time is of the essence, Shepard." her picture blinked out for a second, as Shepard entered the lift. "He is winning."

The lift started descending. "Is there no-one closer to the AI core?" Shepard asked the lift.

"Theee-re is. Buut my programmming state can only be T-terminated by the captain o o of the shipp or those withhe the correct authority." Shepard heard the AI's speech get choppy.

"Dammit!" she keyed in her comm, "This is Shepard to security. Find and secure the newcomer called Hakkon. Red robes, mechanical faceplate. No time! Just do it!"

* * *

To the digital combatants, the lift stood effectively motionless. Inside, Shepard was similarly frozen in time. Her movements taking a glacial pace to the frantic conflict.

Data crashed against data. The conflict was becoming a protracted campaign. There had already been several major engagements. The AI was losing ground. A greater and greater share of the digital space was coming under Hakkon's control.

EDI was one of the most advanced cyber warfare suites in the galaxy. Against the AI of another ship, she could easily infiltrate and disable their defences. In ship to ship cyberwar engagements, the more advanced AI always wins.

Not so here.

EDI did not comprehend. She analysed the invader's tactics and calculated the most probable avenues of success. She executed the runtimes most likely to result in success and attempted to force the intruders out. They should have been successful in her favour.

The invaders continued to execute manoeuvres that should have left them vulnerable, yet when she went for the counter-attack. Her data connections became isolated and vulnerable, or they left an unforeseen weakness elsewhere in the network.

EDI continued to wage war. Continued to put up an admirable defence. But she was being pushed back, closer and closer to her bluebox.

* * *

Before the lift door fully opened, Shepard was running. Through the mess hall. Several heads enjoying meals turned in her direction. She didn't notice.

She burst through the medical bay. Chakwas as nowhere to be seen. The other newcomer, the one called Hayt, was lying on one of the beds. She paid him no heed as she swept into the AI core and halted in front of the main console.

"Ok now what?" she asked. She hoped EDI could still hear her.

"There is a label fzzt. . ommninini… by th right side of the console labelled hard access. fzzz 'PRAISE TH . ..Di di di Disconnect cablesssszzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. . .

* * *

Hakkon felt the abomination give ground. He had almost reached the machine's core. The last of the firewalls were being disassembled by his virus hounds. Their cries of digital menace ringing through the circuits.

He consolidated his forces for the final push. Ahead of him he sensed a high concentration of source code. He had surrounded these few systems and was mopping up elsewhere. This was the final engagement.

With a final blast of energy he charged, his spirits angrily screeching their hatred for this abomination. He closed in, he saw the thing erect barriers. feeble things of simplistic algorithms. He crashed into them, hurling his forces closer to the core, closer to the kill!

* * *

Shepard grasped the hard connection and yanked the cables out. On the console, EDI's head disappeared.

Nothing happened. . .the humm of the ship still softly murmured beneath her. She stood there, frozen for a moment, unsure whether it worked or not.

The comm in her ear burst to life. "Commander, its Jacob. We got him!"

* * *

Shepard stormed back through the Normandy. Wise crew members hugged the walls, unwise ones were left hugging the floor as she passed. Unbelievable! She slammed the button on the lift. Bastard!

"What the hell were they thinking? What did they want? Could they not have waited half an hour before we resumed the debrief?!"

The lift doors opened on deck two and Shepard entered the armoury. Jacob and 4 marines had their weapons trained on the man. His faceplate twitched towards her direction as she entered the room. His creepy robotic arms behind him tracking the guards' movements

Jacob saw her enter and saluted. "We found him here commander, he hasn't done much, just. . . standing there." he looked back to the robed magos.

Shepard barely heard him. She was staring at the thing's monstrous faceplate

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" her nostrils flared, her anger fully directed at the magos, "Trying to sabotage MY ship?" she fixed him with a piercing stare that would have crumbled most men.

But by now, Hakkon was probably more machine than man

The Magos observed the woman called Shepard. This was unwelcome. The guards had closed in during his final attack. All his processing power had been diverted towards the attack, he had been left vulnerable. He had registered them approach, but had been unable to do anything else physically other than stand and passively observe them on a narrow spectrum.

His battle. . .now a waste. In a last, pitiful attempt to save itself. The abomination had severed itself from the rest of the network. Hakkon had never encountered a program showing cowardice before.

He considered a possibility. Perhaps it was an extension of the unholy freedom these people bestowed on it. It realised its nature and thus knew its own existence.

It had realised that it could be beaten, it had realised that it could die.

"You have an abominable intelligence infesting your systems, Shepard." he replied. The monotonous voice betraying no hints of tone.

"What the hell did you do to EDI?" she asked, her hand was inches from her pistol.

"I sought to remove the abomination from your systems. It cannot be allowed to exist."

"EDI is a part of this ship as much as the bulkheads are" Shepard replied, "Getting rid of her is not an option."

Strange how she thought this now, having so recently had similar opinions of the AI herself.

No! It isn't just EDI, Shepard thought to herself. Its the principle! This man had just hacked the Normandy's systems. HER ship's systems. That was unacceptable.

The door opened behind them, it was the inquisitor. He appeared in a Cerberus Officer's uniform. Black and white with the Cerberus logo on the left breast, though he had deigned to keep his gloves.

He entered the room to the scene of several armed guards pointing their weapons at a member of his retinue. He baulked,

"By the Emperor, what in the warp is this?" he wheeled at Shepard. A guard turned round to cover him. He stopped moving forward and levelled a stare at the marine pointing the weapon.

Shepard was in no mood.

"Your pet toaster here" she pointed, "decided to hack into the ship's systems with the intent of deleting the ship's AI"

Rage was replaced with shock, "You harbour Abominable Intelligence on this ship?"

Shepard grunted, these people are impossible. "Yes, Eisenmus, we do. She, it, runs the cyber warfare combat suites. Nothing more."

The man's face was still in a state of shock. He was shaking his head.

May the Emperor preserve us! Eisenmus swore under his breath. This was one bad state of affairs after another. Xenos collusion? Tech heresy? Warp damned AIs?! Maybe this was a mistake. These people were becoming worse by the minute. It was becoming clearer that action will be required in the future against this rampant blasphemy.

He brought his mind back to the immediate situation, to practicalities.

What was he to do? These people were heretics, worse than heretics! At least the heretics of the Imperium didn't go around spreading abominable intelligences.

He looked round, calculated. There were four armed guards pointing weapons at him and the magos, and he had stupidly decided to remove his armour. Nothing now to protect him but this pathetic naval coat he'd been given.

He glanced at his colleague. He was looking at him. The magos knew his train of thought. Eisenmus reckoned that, if the two of them struck now, these people surrounding them could be pacified. The magos, even unarmed, could cause horrific damage in a confined space as this.

He sighed, but what then? Fight the rest of the ship? That was the inevitable outcome of such an action.

The problems began to compound.

They didn't know the star charts, or how to operate the ship's warp drive. If these people were telling the truth about the date, ( he still wasn't sure about that ) then they were residing in a time when the Emperor remained on Terra, unknown and hidden among humanity.

No astronomican, no Imperium, no purpose.

"Argh," Eisenmus grunted, "Hakkon stand down. . ." he managed.

His head twitched. "Lord?. . ."

Eisenmus deflated. These heretics had been lucky to catch them in this state. He, without his armour. Hakkon surrounded and Hayt in the sickbay, currently undergoing treatment for his injuries.

He would withdraw.

"Yes, Hakkon. Stand down. . ." the words whispered out of his mouth." He locked stares with Shepard.

Her expression softened, just. She nodded, gesturing for the guards to lower their weapons as well.

"Good, that's a start. Now would you please tell me why you were hacking into my own ship?"

Hakkon replied, " To remove AI identified as EDI, Shepard. It is an affront to the Omnissiah that such a thing should exist."

"The omni-what?"

"The Omnissiah" he made a strange gesture with his hands, digits interlocked with each other. "Lord of knowledge, keeper of data, deity of technology."

Shepard shook her head. "Look, I don't care what your god says about AIs. Hell! AIs are even banned by the council and I have one anyway. Why? Because it's helping stop these collector attacks and I'll be damned if i'm giving up anything that can save human lives on the whim of a jumped up calculator in the clouds."

Hakkon visibly bristled. . . his mechadendrites twitched. The lights of his optics brightened to cast an eerie red tint under his hood.

"This is unacceptable." she continued. "I find you on the planet and offer you sanctuary. You betray my trust! You've put this ship and the lives of everyone on board at risk!"

Shepard shook her head.

A voice from the comm piped through her earpiece. It was joker, "Commander, the illusive man would like to speak with you in the situation room."

She turned back to the Imperials, "We'll discuss this later." she looked to Jacob, "Take them to their quarters."

"Yes, ma'am."

The guards closed in on them both. The magos refused to move. He looked at the inquisitor, who gave a slight nod of the head. The magos then walked with metallic steps out of the workshop.

The guard watching Eisenmus gestured for him to move. He complied, reluctantly.

They were escorted out of the armoury. Eisenmus scowling and the machine man unreadable.

Shepard ran a hand through her hair, she exhaled. "Great, making new friends everywhere . . ."

"Commander?" her comm sounded, " What should I tell him?"

"Yeah, tell him I'll be there in a second." she cut the line. An idea struck her, the mess hall was just down deck. Yeah, she decided, he can wait a minute longer.

* * *

The illusive man took another drink. These reports were something to behold. Shepard seemed to attract the crazy of the galaxy.

He tapped his fingers on the armrest. He had to commend Miranda on the speed of these. It was crucial that this situation got under control before Shepard did something.. . .Shepard-like.

An abrupt alert sounded an incoming call. He glanced at it, origin: Normandy SR2. Good, let's see what she has to say. The image of Shepard winked in from nothingness in front of him. He prodded out the butt of his cigarette.

"Shepard," he said looking up, " I've just been reading some . . .what's that?"

Shepard looked down. "Coffee." she took a sip.

He paused, then continued. "Shepard. I have a task for you. One of our operatives operating near the Omega sector went missing several weeks ago." he lifted his glass. "We now know that the eclipse are holding him at a base on Lorek, Fathar system. You need to go and recover him." All of which was true, he though to himself.

Shepard grasped her mug in front of her. It felt pleasantly warm on her palms. She retorted, "I'm not Cerberus' errand girl. I'm working with you to stop the collectors, that's it!"

"Exactly Shepard!" he gestured. "The intel he was carrying was information gathered on the collectors." His eyes narrowed on her. "This information was obtained at great cost, Shepard. Given our current time frame, its nigh irreplaceable."

Shepard nodded, accepting this. "Send me the coordinates."

The illusive man nodded and tapped several buttons on his controls. The star continued to flare behind him. Good, she rose to the challenge.

"Done. Speed is of the essence in this Shepard. We don't know if they've moved him yet or if he's still alive down there."

She nodded and her hologram disappeared. The Illusive Man disconnected the call and exhaled. He turned his chair around and sat looking at the roiling star in front of him. To his left a console displayed the research ships of the newly grouped Outsider Cell. Four tiny markers traced orbits around a planet only several jumps from the Herreck system.

Yes, speed _was_ of the essence. . .

* * *

The room was small. Made smaller by the mass of Hakkon. A bed, a desk and various items of furniture were present.

Eisenmus paced what space remained. Hakkon stood to one side. The Shepard woman hadn't given the magos a space of his own yet, so she had bundled him in with him.

"AI. . ".was all he managed to vocalise. AI! Warp damned, honest to throne AI! His fist clenched, his shook his head in disgust.

The Magos' head turned to look at him. "Lord, the heresies of these people knows no bounds. They collude with xenos and infest their tech heresies with abominable intelligence" a long pause. "We should be rid of them."

"_They could be listening now, hakkon. Use high gothic._"

_"As you wish, lord."_

Eisenmus rubbed his head.

_"We have been too lenient with these people, lord."_

_"Throne I know, Hakkon."_

_"I recommend a more direct course."_

_"To what end, Hakkon? To what end?"_ It was the question of his career. The question he continuously asked himself in his duties to the Emperor. If one knew the end goal, one could plan accordingly. What happens in the middle is not as important.

_"The extermination of xenos and heretic life aboard this vessel, lord."_

_"Then?"_

_"Then we commandeer this vessel."_

_"Then?"_

_"..."_

Eisenmus pointed, _"Exactly. More often than not, what sounds good in the immediate future tends to screw you later on down the line."_

An involuntary chuckle issued from him. The Magos cocked his head in an oddly human expression of incomprehension.

_"It's something those damned eldar understand very well"_ he sat at the compartment's desk. _"There's a reason that we haven't eradicated them even after ten thousand years. They are the galaxy's masters of self preservation."_

_"You suggest alternative course, lord?"_

Einsemus brought his hand up, and rubbed his forehead. He could feel the hard metal beneath the leather glove, his real arm lost to a chainsword wielding madman long ago.

Funny, he realised he'd completely forgotten what the man had looked like or what he'd been wearing.

He sighed. _"Not yet, Hakkon."_ he thought back to the slowly spinning picture of Holy terra, turned to his advisor.

He looked into the glowing optics, "_Do you honestly think we're in the first days of man?"_ he asked, fearful of the answer.

Hakkon hesitated. _"Evidence supports it, lord. However, we must not rule out deception by heretics. They have already shown how debased they are."_

His mechadendrites twitched in agreement with his words.

Eisenmus nodded. He'd been thinking the same. How could he trust those who sheltered AI?

But he asked himself again the question he had asked himself most of his adult life.

To what end?

He sighed. He hadn't felt this tired in 70 years. . .

_"We keep the course._" hands tightly clasped, _"We are not fully incapacitated. They have let us talk to each other and have minimal security outside. I know I ask a lot Hakkon, but we must stay true to our roles. We are not sororitas, we are not fanatical commissars. We are questioners, and we have many unanswered ones."_

The magos looked unsure. Eisenmus continued, _"I want to make one thing clear. While we are not detained now, I have no intention of becoming a prisoner to these heretics. If they make a move to imprison us or likewise, a more direct course of action is required."_

Hakkon bowed his head. For a brief moment, the magos' face was a menacing dotted pattern of red light.

_"I understand, lord."_

* * *

In a room not far from the imperials, were the Eldar. One knelt on the floor and the other stood against the wall.

Glaedara calmed her mind, she knelt on the floor of her quarters. It was small, spartan. With no superfluous ornamentation or decoration.

It would suffice.

She began her trained breathing pattern and delved once again into her inner eye, hoping to have better luck. That damned sigil was still a blinding light. Walls and bulkheads offered no protection from its burning presence.

She was a farseer, unable to divine the future. The thought was laughable.

Frustrated from failure. She moved her powers closer to home. She tried to look into the auras and minds of the crew. She found she could, to a limited degree, sense their presence.

She expanded her vision conservatively, straining against the light.

She discovered something. She paused, confused. She searched again with the same result. The little lights of the crew's souls glistening and shone around her.

So few lights. . .This ship was tiny!

Barely a hundred people worked on this ship, which was little more than a thin case of metal hurling through the void.

She shuddered. Trepidation. She had never been in something this fragile.

Breathing out, she returned herself to trying to see further past the sigil's light. There was surely something she could latch onto to.

Off to the side, Eleiyra watched the farseer for a while, arms folded. This recent turn had been an unwelcome revelation. She didn't believe these monkeigh when they said they had been flung through time.

And yet. . .

She couldn't lie to herself, a part of her wished it true. During this time the old empire would be at its height. She who thirsts would not have arisen yet. There would be time to warn the ancients, tell them of the future that awaits them if they continued down the path of decadence!

She had been long born after the fall. She would be lying if she did not feel some awe at seeing the homeworlds of her ancestors at their height.

Her thoughts switched back to their ship.

These monkeigh troubled her. She could hear them outside the room, even now. Their chattering voices and brash tones. She had been on ships with them before, but never with only her and a farseer. There had been a squad of her companions with her. Ones she had trusted with her life.

She faltered and rushed to correct herself. Not that she didn't trust her life to the farseer of course! She did, utterly. But high authority wasn't the same as comradeship.

The farseer still sat motionless. She had sat like that since the meeting. Eleiyra was getting impatient.

She looked at the door that led to the rest of the ship. What was their path now? She had seen the imperial monkeigh at the table gape in horror at what they thought was their ancient homeworld.

She was a ranger of the craftworld. She had seen many things in her travels

But time travel? with the imperials no less?

She shook her head. There must be some other explanation for this. The farseer will see it, she thought.

The other monkeigh though. . .Her active mind wandered, filled with the sense of wanderlust shared by many others like her. She hadn't seen their like before. The avian one and the one with the bulbous eyes.

This was strange, the humans working with non-humans.

She decided it warranted further investigation. She glanced back to the Farseer, when the time is right, of course. . .

* * *

Shepard paced the length of the table. She was thinking.

"What do we do with them?" she asked the others. She continued pacing.

Jacob was leaning on one of the chairs. "What are you thinking Shepard?"

She shook her head, "I'm not sure Jacob. I don't know what to make of this."

"It's ridiculous." Miranda said. "There's no way to know if they're telling the truth." She had a datapad in front of her. Her attention snapped back to it.

"I've got a suit of scary fucking armour sitting in my armoury" Jacob gestured over his shoulder. "Its way beyond anything the alliance has." he looked at Shepard,"I've never seen anything like it."

Shepard grunted. Miranda was right. Time travel was ridiculous. . . but she had hard evidence sitting in her armoury that these people weren't from around here.

"Miranda, do Cerberus have anything like this?" She asked. The woman shook her head.

"Not that I know of, Shepard." Shepard studied her XO's face for a moment, searching for any signs of deception.

"The accent." she said, her stare leaving Miranda. "I can't pin the accent either. It doesn't sound like anything I've heard."

"Don't forget the cathedral" Jacob said.

Shepard folded her arms, she had forgot the cathedral. "Yeah, whoever they are, they're not from the alliance."

"What about the other two?" Miranda asked. She only briefly looked up from her work.

"Haven't heard a peep from them." Shepard shrugged. "I got the feeling during the debrief that they don't get along with the other three."

"Do we know if the citadel's got anything on their species yet?"

"I found nothing," Miranda said. "Though I didn't have much time to find out."

"EDI's was running a check as well. She'll be back up in a minute, Donnelly says a few mins at most."

Miranda nodded. "Until then what are we going to do about them?"

Shepard sighed, she took a seat. "I don't particularly want to detain them after picking them up from an empty planet."

The other two kept quiet. They waited for her to finish.

"I'll go and talk to them, they're on a ship with no where to go. They should've realised that by now." she leaned on the table, "I'm willing to overlook this ONCE because we don't have a clue who they are and from my best guess the feeling's mutual. " her finger tapped on the surface. "On the off chance we are meeting a new species or civilization we're making a horrible first impression."

The quartermaster shrugged, "It's your call commander, " Jacob said. " Whatever you decide, we'll follow."

Shepard reviewed the arguments, then decided.

* * *

Shepard made her way to the Imperial room. She nodded to the marine stationed outside, who let her in. The door hissed open.

She crossed the threshold. They looked up to her enter. The inquisitor was sitting by the computer terminal. Hakkon was standing on the other side of the room.

"I've come to talk" she began.

Eisenmus stared back at her. "Have you come to detain us, Shepard?"

She held up her hands. She looked back at him. Those steel eyes bore into her. "You aren't prisoners if that's what you're thinking. You have to understand that hacking the Normandy was a massive breach of conduct."

"But you harbour an AI in your own systems!" he countered,"What's to stopping it turning off the air, or overloading the reactor!"

From above, a familiar mechanical voice began, "My own operational runtimes do not include access to any other systems on the ship apart from the cyberwarfare suites and to provide advice, Mr Eisenmus." Shepard groaned inwardly and rubbed her forehead, EDI picked the worst time to come back online.

Eisenmus could hear Hakkon tense behind him. After years of serving with him he had learnt to listen for the barely audible change in pitch as his processors increased in power.

"See!" the inquisitor pointed at the ceiling, "The abomination listens on every conversation we have!"

"EDI has performed with admiration on this ship. It's done nothing for me to doubt its intent."

The imperials did not look convinced. To Shepard's surprise however, the man backed down.

"This situation is unprecedented. I have no history in dealing with this."

Shepard looked at the man, he was of a much more human scale now without his armour, grey and again. Looking at him now, she realised she was probably taller than him.

Maybe a different tack, she thought. "Listen, before things got . . .strained. I never got the chance to formally introduce myself. I'm commander Shepard of the SR-2 Normandy."

He nodded, accepting this. "You know mine. Inquisitor Eisenmus. This is Magos Hakkon."

Her next question caught him off guard.

"What's your plans from now on?"

"I'm sorry?"

"If you're from where you say you are, what're your plans here?" this was something she genuinely wanted to know. She recalled the armour in the armoury. If she could persuade them, at least ease the distrust. Maybe their technology could give her a boost against the collectors.

Eisenmus shrugged. What was this woman after?

"I don't know. Our intention had been to get back to imperial territory, but that seems futile now." Eisenmus still didn't fully trust the hypothesis, but it was more beneficial to give the impression that he did.

She nodded, turned to the Magos and back. She sighed, "I'm not going to detain you." she saw his eyebrow rise, "Because you didn't know about the AI. But let me make it clear that if we're to get along that's got to slide."

Eisenmus struggled. She was a heretic. Xeno colluder. She harboured AI.

"I offer no apologies for what we did." the only proper answer he could manage.

"you broke into my ship"

"You harbour an AI"

"EDI helps us."

"Never trust AI. They are inhuman by nature."

Shepard shook her head.

The inquisitor's hand was grasping the table. "What's to become of us then?" He fixed her with a stare.

She paused. . . "As I said, I won't detain you. If what we saw in the meeting was true and you guys aren't from around here. . ." She glanced at the Magos. He had said nothing in this entire exchange.

She brought her arm up and made a series of gestures on an orange hologram that appeared around her wrist. The computer terminal next to Eisenmus lit up.

"I'm giving you a connection to the extranet. Have a look and see if you can recognise anything."

"The extranet?"

Shepard was surprised. She knew she shouldn't have been, but it was still a rare occurrence to meet someone that didn't know what the extranet was. She attempted to explain,

"It's . . what we use for information." It'll give you a better understanding of who we are."

He looked suspicious.

"I don't want us to be enemies Eisenmus. But your behavior can't stand. I am willing to let this slide, THIS TIME. I'll put it down to culture shock and that'll be the end of it. But understand this is my ship. And I'll do what I must to protect it"

Eisenmus' mind churned. An ultimatum. A choice. Did they cooperate with heretics, or fight here and die in vain.

After a long hesitation. . ."Your terms are acceptable, I will consider what you've said."

Shepard nodded, "Good."

She turned and left, leaving the two disgruntled imperials.

* * *

Glaedara felt a presence approach from outside the door. It was the monkeigh female.

The door opened. "May I come in?" she asked.

The eldar withdrew her consciousness back to her body. Her extra-sensory awareness faded into obscurity. Her mind calmed. "I do not mind." she replied.

The monkeigh female nodded and entered. She looked round at the other woman. Still hadn't removed her helmet. The hood draped over the helmet. Why bother? Shepard wondered.

Shepard stood slightly in the doorway. The eldar turned her perfect face towards her.

"Apologizes for keeping you here, we had an incident that needed resolving."

The woman was blank faced. Those green eyes were dazzling.

"We'll have proper introductions later on." Shepard managed, dragging her gaze away towards the hooded one. "For now though, there are urgent matters that need my attention. I'm sorry we couldn't talk now."

She turned, then paused. "I want you to know if there's anything you need, just ask the person by the door."

A thin attempt to spy on them, no doubt, Glaedara thought. She nodded, "My thanks, Shepard."

Shepard nodded back, and left.

* * *

The Normandy flew through space, towards the sector's mass relay. As it closed on the great construction, tendrils of energy arced off it and the relay. Blue lightning bounced back and forth as the ancient technologies propelled the ship to fantastic speeds.

In a blink, the Normandy was gone. Catapulted away light years in the blink of an eye.

It's blip disappeared on a computer monitor. The monitor displayed the Herreck system.

A tendril of smoke rose in the air.

The alert had just come in that the Normandy had left the sector's relay. Good.

A series of gestured waved gave the go ahead for an expedition of three ships, two research and an escort, to travel to the relay.

Shortly after, they emerged in streaks of light from the relay. They regrouped and, as one, turned and headed towards the planet designated Charles' Rock.

The illusive man watched this on the monitor. Satisfied that all was well, he turned his attention to other matters, but kept that particular screen active.

He was interested in what they'd uncover. . .

* * *

Factions, histories, maps, ship layouts, planets. . . .

He scanned the through the articles, more browsing than looking for anything specific. Eisenmus and Hakkon stood speechless at the volume of information in front of them. Hakkon had said there must be yottabytes of data. All there. Freely given.

He was awestruck.

"What do you make of this Hakkon?" the inquisitor asked.

The Magos stared into space for a second before responding to him, "I believe they are telling the truth about their origins, lord. The sheer volume of data makes deception very unlikely."

The inquisitor studied what he could.

He searched Humanity.

He was met with millions of articles. This exceeded even his own database. He clicked the first. A new screen displayed a column of text along with several pictures for reference. He read down the page. It described humanity as originating on earth, eventually forming something called the systems alliance.

He read through and digested the articles. They shocked him. Humanity had only achieved space flight a century ago. He sat back in his chair, truly they were at the birth of human civilization in the galaxy.

Which brought his mind back to the xenos. It made them even more unwelcome, these were the early days of interstellar humanity! What right did these aliens have defile this glorious age of the human race?

The pair sat for half an hour just reading, in silence, the recent histories of the human race. Hakkon absorbed the information with frightening speed. He copied everything he deemed suitable into his own databanks. Millions of sites were searched. Among them, technological plans and schematics wrought by xeno engineers. It was inimical to Hakkon that such knowledge should just be left there, for anyone to access.

He copied what he could. The designs were tech heresy, there could be no doubt. But if he brought them back to Mars perhaps they offered clues to discover similar functions in the holy guidelines of the Omnissiah.

Inevitably, their attention turned to the other life in the galaxy.

This inevitably brought them across the citadel council. They read the information, confused. Based on a space station far from Earth. It consisted of a ruling body of xenos that dictated law across the galaxy. They stood, mouths agape. Earth abides by xenos law!

Eisenmus stopped and set the holo-slate device down. He rubbed his head. Emperor preserve us..

What was their next move? he thought. He saw Hakkon, still motionless from absorbing information.

He saw the magos' optics flare back to their normal brightness. He lifted his head to look at the inquisitor. "Lord, request objective update." Hakkon said. No doubt he had seen many, many times what Eisenmus had.

Eisenmus closed his eyes and thought. He tried to clear his head, to think rationally. A prayer to the Emperor was muttered unconsciously.

"I'm not sure how much of this I believe, Hakkon." he replied. "But until we can find a way back to Imperial space it makes no difference. It's despicable, but we are currently at the mercy of these people." Eisenmus scowled. It was not a good situation to be in.

"We keep the course Hakkon - this is distasteful. But we have no choice. We need allies if we are to survive."

"You are not suggesting allying with this Shepard, lord. She is. . "

"Yes! Throne, I know what she is. But I also know what we are." he paused, "We are Three, Hakkon. Without backup or reinforcement, we are vulnerable. We need a patron in this world."

Hakkon stood still. His internal cogitators whirring to figure out the solution. "I will follow your command, lord. But I have deep concerns about this course."

Eisenmus rested his arms on the desk. He did as well. The path to radicalism was one walked in small steps. He was reminded of an ancient proverb, by an ancient scholar on Holy Terra, which he thought most apt at this point.

'Those who play with the devil's toys, will be brought by degrees, to wield his sword.'

Eisenmus was no radical. More liberal in his methods perhaps than his more conservative peers but he never stooped to using the enemy's tools to accomplish the goals of the imperium. Those were solved in faith, steel, and bolt shells.

He turned to his aide "Noted. I share your concerns,"

The two sat in silence.

"What now, lord?"

Eisenmus sat with hands clenched in front to him. The next words were difficult. "We ally with them for now. We have no other choice."

"Where is the line, lord?"

Eisenmus wheeled on his retinue, "I want to make one thing absolutely clear. We may ally with them temporarily. But we will not become them! We are looking for a way back to imperial space, until then, we acquiesce to their demands."

The magos looked impassively at this rare display of emotion from his lord. "It is set, then?"

He sighed. "Just because I'm suggesting it doesn't mean I like it any more than you do."

The tech priest nodded. "Then, what do you command, lord?"

Eisenmus looked at the face of the Magos. The face that had served with him for over 100 years. He smiled. He threw down a holo-slate on the table. It displayed an image of a xeno creature the Magos hadn't seen before.

Correction, hadn't seen but had recently read about.

"The humanity of this time is under threat by these monstrosities. We will work to help Shepard cleanse the galaxy of these. . .collector xeno" he looked into space, " in that matter at least, our goals align. " he brought himself back. "But this matter is secondary to finding a way back to the imperium. I want you working on this. Search their databases for anything that might point us in the right direction."

He remembered Hayt, lying in the medical ward. Someone would have to tell him. He wouldn't like it.

"Leave Shepard to me." he said, "I will speak to her."

* * *

Shepard returned, once again, to Eisenmus' quarters. The report was still unfinished on her desk, she wondered if she could just get Miranda to do it. She'd been told the inquisitor wanted to speak to her. These people were trying her patience, she was in no mood for anything funny. It was too long a day.

She entered, the inquisitor and magos turned as she entered.

"What did you want to talk about?" Shepard asked.

Eisenmus sat at the table, one of the datapads in his hand. It showed an image of a collector.

"Our aid, Shepard" he replied and gestured to the image on the pad's screen. " Our aid in helping you rid humanity of these xenos."

Shepard crossed her arms, this was a strange turn,. "Oh? Now you want to help us? Not so long ago you were breaking into my ship."

His smile stiffened, "Make no mistake, we still harbour judgements over your . . .equipment. But I am a man of practicality, Shepard. My men and I are on a ship, very far from home, with no where to go. In return for your aid, I would offer mine. " he chuckled, remembering something he read about humans of this time, " I believe that's called an alliance."

Shepard studied him, looking for signs of deceit. "Why should I believe you? You've already tried to attack us once. And I know your feelings towards the non humans."

The man's poker face was excellent, not a muscle twitched. Which, however, told Shepard all she needed to know about his feelings. "True. But no different from the people you surround yourself with on this ship. I've read the files on your benefactor, Cerberus."

Shepard considered this. It was true she'd been rescued by Cerberus, yes. But she didn't have to like it.

"I'm after the best the galaxy has to offer. What makes you think you'll make the cut?"

Eisenmus chuckled. "Shepard, we were in the inquisition. You may not know of us, but we took the last and sometimes only defence humanity had against the dark. You will not find us wanting."

She nodded her head. She thought of her upcoming mission. Let's see how serious they are, "Are you serious about helping me stop the collectors?

"Yes Shepard." Eisenmus lied.

She paused before nodding. "Alright. If you're serious then we have a mission coming up, to retrieve some intel related to the collectors from a mercenary base. ETA to mission is about 2 hours. I want you and your friend down in the hangar bay ready for the mission. I'll pass along details the closer to the drop time."

Eisenmus bowed his head. "Understood Shepard."

Shepard nodded and left.

* * *

Surface of Lorek, Fathar system,

The shuttle descended over the base. It slowed as it approached the landing pad. The thrusters on either side levelled off as the craft touched down. The exterior hatch opened and the occupants exited the vehicle.

Inquisitor Eisenmus clanged off the ramp, followed by Hakkon, his robes flapping in the wind. He carried his Lascarbine, his movements twitchy. Someone might think he was afraid, Eisenmus knew better. His sensors were scanning the entire area for hostile activity. His mechadendrites moved in unison with his vision, almost giving the impression of a spider like creature.

Also accompanying them was the human woman, Miranda, and the xenos doctor that called itself Mordin Solus. Eisenmus felt uneasy that he was forced to work alongside the xenos, but what choice did he have? He had instructed Hakkon to keep an eye on the doctor, for any sign of treachery. After all, the rewards of xenos collusion were often death.

They approached the facility in formation, Shepard issuing commands over the intercom. A metal ramp and gantry led to the entrance of the facility. A small metal bulkhead in the side of a mountain. As they reached the top, they heard Hakkon.

"Be advised. I detect hostile life signs within the facility. 23 unknown xenos signatures and 4 human signatures. They are spread across multiple rooms within the structure."

"Acknowledged." Shepard responded as she slammed up beside the entrance doorway. Behind her, the vast bulk of the Inquisitor and the insect like Hakkon advanced up the ramp.

"I detect 14 signatures on the other side of the entrance." Hakkon barked over the comm.

"Ok, Eisenmus, you open the door. Hakkon, you support him. Miranda and Mordin, you cover both sides of the entranceway."

"A chorus of ayes and acknowledged" came back to her. She heard Miranda get into position behind her and saw Mordin on the other side of the entrance. Eisenmus strode up to the door in his massive armour.

Then Shepard realised, we haven't given him an omnitool! He can't open the door!

She cursed herself for being so stupid and was about to signal for Mordin to open the door when she heard the Inquisitor over the comm,

"Breaching door Shepard, may the Emperor be with us!" Eisenmus then clenched a massive armoured fist and smashed it into the door. It went straight through, he then clasped it and ripped it off its frame and strode into the room, Hakkon hot on his heels.

Shepard stood there immobilised for a few moments at what she just seen, he just ripped the damn door off!

"What the fuck is that thing!?"

"Shoot it! Shoot it now!"

Desperate shouts and screams from inside the compound snapped Shepard back into focus. She signalled to Miranda and Mordin to advance. They ran in and took cover behind one of the low pieces of machinery dotted about the room.

To Shepard, the room was a scene of chaos.

It was a low industrial room, utilitarian and functional. Several doors like the entrance led off to different areas of the facility.

The room was, now, thick with corpses.

Shepard glimpsed over her cover and saw the mass of Eisenmus engaging the enemy. The giant moved faster than something that big should be allowed to move. He smashed through the little cover the eclipse mercs had taken refuge behind and brought his fist down on a salarian, pulping his skull on the ground. He then brought the weapon on his wrist to bear on another group behind a stack of crates.

Their shots simply pinged off his armour as he opened fire. The bark of the weapon was deafening, the area where the mercs had been hiding exploded in a shower of detonations. He ran forward, through the hail of gunfire towards the group. Just before he arrived he had drawn the great sword at his waist. Shepard watched at it sprang to life with a blue electric glow and was brought down on the group slicing them from head to thigh.

Shepard looked round. She saw the Magos Hakkon fighting the mercs. Shepard had assumed him a researcher or scientist and had been hesitant to bring him along. She had been persuaded by Miranda who said that they needed to get to know the combat potential of every member of their team.

The Magos was a whirlwind of death. Only now could she see that each of his extra mechanical limbs was armed. They flew about him, targeting mercs in front or behind. Shepard saw lasers being fired (fucking lasers!) from the upper limbs while he used the lower ones as extended legs to move about the battlefield with frightening speed. One of his limbs grabbed a merc from behind cover and threw him across the room, another reconfigured itself into a spike and impaled another target through the head, his kinetic barriers failed utterly.

"Machine spirits, guide me!" Shepard heard him yell as he fired his laser weapon into another target, kinetic barriers offering no protection against energy weapons.

"None escapes the Emperor's justice!" Eisenmus said, slicing another merc in two across the chest. 'Arrgh!''

"ARrrggg. . crunch!" Eisenmus' huge metal boot stamped on the chest of the last remaining enemy. The mercs had been slaughtered, it had been over in a matter of moments. The room was a complete slaughterhouse.

"Area Clear!" she heard Eisenmus call out.

Shepard cursed herself for her performance, they were supposed to be evaluating them, and she had hid behind cover like a damned civvie. Although, judging by Miranda's and Mordin's faces, they had experienced the same.

"Acknowledged." She said over the intercom, " move towards the next door. Form up."

"Aye Shepard!"

The team continued through the facility, Eisenmus leading the way, providing cover with his bulk. They encountered light resistance here and there. They quickly mopped it up.

They arrived at the room they were looking for.

"Hold here! Shepard commanded 'this is it" She unlocked the door with her omnitool and it slid open.

It looked like an operating room. . and it was slick with blood. On a bed in the corner lay the body of a man, the Cerberus agent no doubt. She entered the room and walked up to the computer terminal and booted it up.

"It's not pretty" said Miranda.

"Cerberus agent captured." Mordin blabbered in his rushed tones, "Found by eclipse. Tortured, murdered. Information likely valuable."

Shepard found what she was looking for in the computer and uploaded it to the Normandy's systems.

"EDI, you getting this?" she asked

Eisenmus stiffened at the mention of the AI. Hakkon had protested furiously at the reactivation of the AI, but he managed to calm him down. Eisenmus shared the Magos' fears, but they had been ignored and dismissed calmly by Shepherd. Eisenmus did not approve, but he had warned them and that was the best he could achieve for now.

"This computer contains the encrypted intelligence extracted from the Cerberus agent. The information could adversely affect Cerberus if it were ever circulated publicly." EDI said over the comm. Shepard pulled out the data from the computer.

Hmm. . .suppose not, Shepard thought. It wouldn't be good for Cerberus if the public thought they were working with the collectors.

She responded, "We'll keep the data for now, as much as I like to see Cerberus take a hit publicly I don't think it'll help our credibility if we release this to the public yet."

"Of course Shepard." replied the AI. Shepherd walked away from the computer terminal, back to the team.

"Seems we're done here." she gestured, "We're moving out."

The team made their way back to the landing pad. Past the carnage they had inflicted on the mercenaries. Shepard was experienced in warfare, she had seen death countless times. But the brutality of these Imperials was unnerving. Mercenaries had been crushed, blasted, stabbed, in some cases ripped apart. It made her sick looking at some of the corpses.

That said, after seeing them in action, she couldn't doubt they meant business. If they performed half as well against the collectors, she'd be stupid not to get them on the team. Her gaze wandered to the multitude of weapons carried by the Magos. She had to get him to share some of his tech, laser rifles alone would give them a critical advantage.

"Inquisitor!" she called. The vast bulk of his armour hissed and turned towards her.

"I had my doubts about your combat proficiency." she nodded, "Not any more."

The inquisitor smiled back and nodded, with a silver voice so alien to the carnage around them. "I'm grateful for your confidence, Shepard. The Emperor protects."

She still found it strange they clung to their religion so rigidly, even here. She shook her head. Must be one of the only familiar things they have. . .

She followed her team through the ruin of the front entranceway out into the light. They embarked on the shuttle and with a blast of thrust it sped off into the sky, leaving an corpse filled, wrecked ruin behind.

* * *

Glaedara winced as she fought the light. Tried to break through. She had been at it for hours, and had learnt the flows and ebbs in its radiance she could exploit.

A passage opened. She flew in, struggling to keep it open. Just a little bit further!

This was taking a toll on her. She hadn't exerted herself like this since the duel with the daemon. She could feel the pressures mount on her as the barriers she erected were blasted with the sigil's psychic force.

Just a look! she thought. If I can only look beyond the veil!

Driven by desperation, she pulled every last ounce of strength she could. Her barriers held, barely. The light was seeping through.

She was almost there! Almost. . .

Her warp defences ready, she tried once more. She strained her sight, filter it! She commanded, filter it!

Another ebb in the current. She jumped at the chance.

She broke through! Her sight piercing the warp beyond the light.

What she saw, shocked her. "What?. . . ." she froze at her discovery.

In that moment of weakness. her defences collapsed and her mind's sight was thrown back into her body. She collapsed on the floor, reeling from the abrupt return.

The ranger quickly hurried over and helped her to her feet. "Farseer!" She accepted her help and managed to stand.

She looked at the ranger, her face unreadable beneath the helmet.

She tried to speak, her voice barely recovered, "That's not possible. . . ."


	4. Fall of Purgatory

_Author's note: Behold, content!_

_As of now the update schedule for this story is every Saturday fortnight. I experimented with a weekly schedule earlier but it was too inconvenient._

_Another point, though I consider myself reasonably knowledgeable about how space combat works in the mass effect universe, I have never written about it until now. If there's any boffins out there that can point out flaws or missed points just let me know so I can get any mistakes ironed out for future chapters._

_As ever, the more critical reviews tend to be the best ones, so don't hold back._

_Continued. . . _

* * *

**Chapter 4 - The Fall of Purgatory**

Glaedara wrestled with her breathing. She fought to bring it back under control. She could feel the ranger holding her upright. She was looking at her.

"Farseer?" the ranger asked again. "What's impossible? What do you mean?"

She looked at her ranger.

"The warp. . . she breathed again. . . .it's silent."

The ranger was confused. "what do you mean?"

The farseer looked at her. She had never seen her eyes so wide. "There is no movement. No currents, no . . . nothing." she gazed into empty space.

"There was . . nothing, Eleiyra. Just infinite stillness." she paused, as if unwilling to say what she thought. "I couldn't feel the tug of she who thirsts."

Eleiyra almost dropped the farseer. What did she just say? Every eldar who delved into the warp felt the pull, it was the shared burden felt by their entire race.

It can't just be gone!

Glaedara's head spun. The feeling of emptiness it left inside her grew. She tried to suppress it, it was too strong. She heard her ranger speak, she was saying something. The farseer couldn't make it out. She couldn't hear the ranger any more.

With barely suppressed dread, she slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

Captain Barc was a batarian, a batarian in charge of a slave ship.

He was running this sector for colonies - the council's suppression of slave trade meant that newer stock was in higher demand.

And fetched a nice price

New, untouched human colonies were out here. Barc decided to give them the run round, see what he could find.

He jumped into a sector containing supposedly several of them, spread out on the planets.

What he didn't expect, was the Cerberus cruiser waiting for them. Sent by the illusive man with the new research fleet to investigate the strange cathedral like structure on Charles' Rock

It had taken up position next to the sector relay, as part of the new Cerberus Outsider cell. It's orders were to prevent any more ships interrupting their activity. It had scanned the batarian vessel as soon as it appeared and recognised it as a batarian slave ship.

Batarian attacks on humans had increased ever since they'd withdrawn from the council over their jealousy at humanity's new position. The captain needed no further excuse. Without warning or discourse, it opened fire.

A mass propelled projectile tore through space towards the batarians. It impacted on the ship's kinetic barriers. The barriers strained under the blow but held, doing their job.

The impact still shook the batarians. The crew was thrown around the interior of their ship. On the bridge Captain Barc steadied himself.

"Report!" he yelled at his bridge crew.

"Picking up one cruiser class vessel. IFF marks it as human."

Barc grunted. Humans. . he thought. It would be humans wouldn't it? To fire first and ask questions later.

The ship reeled under another impact. Barc felt the shockwave through the bridge.

"Sir, unknown ship possesses cruiser class weaponry. We can't hold up to that!"

Barc wasn't stupid. His slave ship was heavily armed, upgraded with a little extra of his own, personal modifications. It could easily a match for a vessel his size. But against a cruiser he was completely outmatched. He didn't have the armour to go toe to toe.

He thought again of the colonist rich worlds settled out here by the alliance. he hit his armrest

"Argh! Get us back through the relay, now! Fraj, if any weapons can fire, fire them!"

"Aye sir." replied the tac-officer and his ship's weapons systems came online.

His ship's turrets swivelled and a stream of projectiles zoomed towards the Cerberus cruiser. They impacted on its barriers, with no lasting effect.

The batarian ship flipped vertically in space and ignited its engines towards the relay. Another hit from the cruiser blasted part of its hull.

They couldn't take much more, Barc could feel his ship struggling. If the engines failed now. . .

"Sir, ready to jump!"

"Jump!" he ordered and his ship zoomed away from the combat at a terrific speed, propelled by the ancient relay.

Barc slumped in his chair. Around him were the sounds of repair. He looked out of the view screen in front of him. Nothing but the swirling vortex of the relay jump path.

It reappeared an hour later, at another relay. One of the nearest to the one they just jumped from, the Osun relay. They couldn't afford a longer jump, their drive core already dangerously charged being used so soon after another relay jump. Any further and they risked the core overloading and tearing the ship apart.

As they exited, an alert pinged on the bridge.

"Sir, picking up another an vessel in the inner system."

Barc frowned, it couldn't be the human ship, there was no way they could've got here before them.

"Is it the human ship?" He felt tension rise within him

The officer deliberated, then replied. the relief plain on his face "Negative. IFF identifies it as the Purgatory, a prison ship."

A prison ship? Barc thought. He snorted and shook his head, the universe had a strange sense of humour.

"Gealde?" he asked the officer

"Yes, sir?"

"Take us in," he ordered, an idea forming, "We could get our quota after all."

The ship's thrusters fired, pointing it in-system. The engines flared and the ship sped towards its new target.

* * *

The space station Purgatory was a prison. A prison with the most effective escape prevention ever devised.

Nothing.

Literally nothing. Billions of miles of nothing. After purgatory the nearest habitable world was dozens of light-years away.

Freezing and asphyxiation had a habit of re-evaluating prisoners' attitude to escape.

It floated in the absolute void. Ponderously gliding through empty space. The engines were disabled, only activated when they needed to make a pit stop or travelling through a relay.

At one end of the station, in a section far removed from the prisoner blocks, Foreman Kuril watched a peculiar dot on the station's scanning display. It had just emerged from their relay, and was closing in on the station.

Strange, there shouldn't be any ships in-system at this time. He rose from his command chair and walked over to the central control island in the CIC. He looked at the readings displayed on the monitors.

The CIC was a large room of efficient bare metal. In here, the very ribs of the ship were visible. Brazen bulkheads were dotted around the entranceways. Monitoring equipment crowded the room.

It took six people to work the CIC. An impressively low number for a vessel of this size. Though, it helps when there isn't much to do other than keep an eye on cattle.

.He looked at his captain, standing near the other end of the table.

"Captain? he asked. "Classification?"

His captain, Parach, was a turian he trusted. His second in command on the Purgatory, he had served with him at C-sec, joined the blue suns together, now they ran the station together. The turian shifted his head to read the information, "Batarian IFF. Heavy frigate class. sir."

His maniples twitched, the foreman never liked it when they twitched. The foreman grunted, "Do they have an appointment with us? Are they regulars?"

Parach checked the station's 'customer manifests'.

He shook his head, his omni tool still held before him. "No sir. We've never seen them before."

Kuril looked over to the comm officer. "Open a channel." The salarian nodded in return. He looked back at the offending blip on the scanner screen. "What the hell are they doing?"

"Comm is a go." the officer replied. Kuril keyed in a channel to the vessel.

"This is the prison ship Purgatory to batarian vessel. Please state your intent."

Static, No response. He looked back to the comm officer, who shook his head.

He leaned on the control table, "I repeat this is the prison ship purgatory to batarian vessel. Please state your intent."

He turned to the foreman, "No good, sir. I'm reading no activity from their comm-line."

The warden frowned. This didn't look good.

The ship closed the distance. It seemed intent on intercepting with the station.

"This is Foreman Kuril of the Purgatory. Batarian vessel, identify yourselves or you will not be permitted access to my station!"

A voice crackled through from the other ship " With respect, foreman, you can't do anything about it. We only want a couple hundred of your filth. What do you care, they're the scum of the galaxy."

Kuril grunted. Another one of these people. "They're my scum dammit. Like hell I'm letting you anywhere near my property!"

Laughing from the other end. " This isn't necessary. Stand down and you won't be harmed. Resist. . .and we'll blow the station. Your choice." the transmission ended.

"Scramble the fighters." the warden ordered. A chorus of ayes responded to his commands.

This wasn't the first time he'd protected his livelihood.

"Parach, I want response teams on alert, all levels. Seal off the outer blocks. Initiate station lockdown."

"Aye sir."

The tac officer responded, "Sir, fighters in the air. Are heading to engage enemy."

Kuril looked at the tac screen. He wasn't holding out much hope, the fighters probably wouldn't do much against a relatively well armed slave ship.

* * *

The station's fighters peeled out from their landing bays. They oriented towards the unknown and screamed through the empty void. They registered the newcomer and flicked their weapon safeties off. There were only a couple dozen of them. They had no intelligence about the enemy ship.

They closed in, the enemy vessel just coming up as a point in their view. It grew as they approached it. The pilots heard no noise save the roaring of their craft's engines. Their huds highlighted its location on their helmets' visors. Target's were locked. Weapons were armed. Barriers were activated.

They closed in on the unknown ship. Ready to fire! Then the lead craft was destroyed with a short laser blast.

"Shit! They got GUARDIANS! Peel off!" the squad leader yelled.

The squadron leader broke off with his fighters. Another got swatted from space by the guardian system. The squadron leader zoomed past the wreckage of his former pilot. His view screen was peppered with debris.

The range was extreme for GUARDIAn defences. They must have been upgraded. The squadron leader swore,

"Listen up!" the squadron leader yelled through the comm. The enemy ship still in view.

"Lance one take the bow , lance two follow me! We take the stern. Split the fire. Opposite dorsal velocities. Break!"

His pilots followed their orders without question. A series of acknowledgements returned to him as he flicked the controls of his craft. he braced as the g-forces flung him to one side. He was experienced though and remained in control.

Like a flock of birds the fighter swarm split into two divisions. One headed to the front of the vessel, the other to the back. They circled round the batarian ship, keeping a distance from the GUARDIANs.

As one, the two groups spun and converged on the ship.

The GUARDIAN fired. Another fighter blew itself to pieces under the heat. Its fellows pressed onwards, shrieking past it.

Engines squealed under the stress. Eezo drives burned hot. External heat sinks glowed red in the blackness of space, giving each fighter dual menacing eyes. Eyes that bore down on the ship.

Only now could they see for themselves the detail of the ship. It looked heavily modified. Armour and weapons were attached to the hull. It had looked like a heavy corvette but the upgrades had given it the unwieldy bulk of a cruiser. In several places it looked like it had been in combat.

The pilots had on a split second to process this before the order came through.

"Fire torpedoes!" The squadron leader yelled. With a shudder of his fighter craft, the torpedo in the tube fired away towards the ship. The craft beside him did the same. He banked off, his torpedo making its way towards the target.

The fighters, now forgotten by the guardian systems, broke off for another attack run. Only a couple of torpedoes had made it through, the rest being shot down by larger groups of close range guardian fire.

he looked at the scans of the enemy vessel. He swore. Minimal damage.

Its got more GUARDIANS covering the extreme close ranges. he thought. He took a note of the shot down missiles. They wheeled around again, trying to get an angle on the batarian craft. All the while, it was closing on the station.

He switched several controls. "Fighters four, six and seven break off and commence new attack vector. Lateral approach, port side."

"Aye sir." came the replies and his scanner showed the three craft break off and wheel around the ship. They came at it again, firing torpedoes, with much the same result.

He swore as he saw the first team get slightly too close. In a burst a couple more fighters disappeared in coronas of gas and dust as the GUARDIANs picked them out.

"Dammit! Stay clear of the guardians!" he looked at the roster. Nine craft had perished. He had sixteen left.

He tallied up their combat damage. They couldn't get through the point defence!

Another fighter got unlucky and exploded from another laser hit. The missile it fired getting shot down moments later.

He looked at his squad's stock of missiles, just over half capacity. Falren wasn't a coward but nor was he stupid. he saw they were having no effect on this ship. He gave the order.

"Warden, we're getting pummelled out here, request permission to withdraw."

Back on the station, the warden clenched the command table. His knuckles hurt.

He gritted his teeth. "Alright, withdraw Falren. Save your men."

"Yes sir!" came the relieved reply from the squadron leader. " Breaking off now!"

The warden punched the table. A minor crack appeared in the surface. His knuckles really hurt now. On the monitor above Kuril he saw the green dots of his fighter craft pull back from the newcomer's ship.

They'd have to resist them on the station. Kuril stood up behind his table. He watched as the ship slowly moved towards the station.

* * *

Klaxons blared. The deck shook imperceptibly beneath his feet. Foreman Kuril had been on the station for long enough to feel the faint vibration of a ship docking.

"Where'd they dock?" he asked his captain.

The captain looked down at a monitor. "Port Airlock C-32. We're getting reports of intense gunfire from that area."

"Shit!" he swore. "Put the station on alert. I want teams down there now! Bring down squads from E block.

"Yes sir." The captain nodded.

The warden grabbed the intercom mic.

"This is warden Kuril." his voice rang throughout the interior of the ship. "Slaver scum have attacked the station. All guards to stations! Send these bastards back to space!"

He threw the mic down and armed his weapon. A scatter shotgun, useful for inter-ship fighting. Very little chance of missing in cramped corridors.

"Sir!" his tac officer called. "I've got video feeds of batarians making their way towards the CIC. They're taking out surveillance along the way, but looks like a couple dozen sir!"

The warden nodded. "Parach, you have the CIC. I'm going to welcome our guests."

"Yes sir. Good hunting." The other turian turned round to the tac officer, started yelling orders. Warden Kuril was already outside of the CIC. The chaos of the officers left behind him. He spied two guards outside,

"You and you, come with me." they obeyed. Fell in behind him. He keyed in his omni tool. "Sergeant Pallal, I want your squad at bulkhead M-2 now. We've got a raiding party trying to storm the CIC."

"Yes sir. On our way, sir!" came the reply. Kuril heard gunfire in the background of the transmission. Bulkhead M-2 was a choke point. One of many on the station. Each wing was separated by small narrow kill zones for effective control of the populace.

The warden strode through his station. He noted with pride the speed with which his orders were being enforced. The prisoners howled in their cells like the animals they were. Some pounded on the glass. Some sat quietly, watching. He enlisted any guards he could find along the way. When he reached the bulkhead, his squad numbered over ten guards.

He began barking orders,

"I want you and you covering that door. No-one not wearing blue gets through!" he pointed to another three. " You lot. Get some crates, don't care where from. I want this area turned into a kill zone."

A shout came from behind him. A prisoner fell forward through the doorway, shot in the back by something. A moment later, a batarian, no doubt eager for his capture ran towards the prone man.

His head exploded. Smoke issued from one of the high powered rifles Kuril's men were carrying. His limp body slumped over his would be quarry.

Kuril looked at his men. "Get a fucking move on! GO!"

* * *

Far from the conflict surrounding the station, the systems' relay activated again.

The Normandy appeared back below lightspeed, eezo induced lightning arcing off its hull. It reoriented itself and made a course for the Purgatory.

Joker was sitting in the cockpit. He brought up the comm system, keyed in the correct channel. "Prison ship Purgatory, this is the Normandy requesting permission to dock."

No response.

Strange, he thought, we should be well within range. He heard someone come up behind him, it was Shepard.

He repeated the transmission. The same result.

He shrugged and looked over his shoulder, "Something's up commander."

"Put me though." she said.

He shrugged again and recalled the station, he nodded for her to start.

She leaned in over his chair, "This is commander Shepard of the SR-2 Normandy. We request permission to dock."

They got a response.

"Shepard? Shit, I forgot you." The transmission was choppy, with gunfire in the background. Static for a second. "This is Warden Kuril of the Purgatory, my XO just relayed this transmission through to me. Shepard listen, the station's under attack by slavers! They've cut the power to several sections. Between them and a full scale uprising we're in dire straits here." more gunfire.

She nodded, "Understood. Where do you need us?"

"Dock at airlock A-23. Ahhh, hold on.. ." BOOM! "My forces are concentrated around the main admin areas. Several of the station's wings are overrun with prisoners! We need to ." . .bang, kafoom!. . . *klaxons* "Aww SHIT!. . ." he grunted.

"What happened?" Shepard asked.

The transmission became more broken. "power to cryo just went. Your pet prisoner's loose, Shepard! We need help. NOW!"

"Understood. Hold out until we reach you."

"Much appreciated Shepard. Consider yourselves getting a discount." he cut the line.

Shepard stood up. "Joker, full speed to the station. Get EDI to run anything she can about what we're up against." she was already moving out of the cockpit.

"Understood, commander." Joker replied as he threw all available power at the engines. He heard the slight change in pitch and subtle acceleration. The Normandy blasted towards the inner system.

* * *

A line of projectiles pinged off the cover he was using.

A guard went down beside him. He didn't bother to save him, most of his face was missing.

Kuril was thinking. This was a turn of events. Shepard. . .that damned human.

He peeked over the cover and fired off a rain of shots. He darted back. He winced as his shield took a couple of hits.

He was originally going to ransom her off. With that much money he could really start to do some good in the galaxy, expand his operations beyond the terminus systems, another base of operations, hundreds of further criminals out of the way. . .

An explosion sounded somewhere in the distance. The damned prisoners had probably looted explosives off the batarians. He peeked over cover and shot a prisoner running across his field of view. He ducked under again. A stream of fresh projectiles was their reply.

A projectile buried itself in the ground next to him. Another prisoner went down.

A batarian came into view, the bodies were starting to pile up. He and his men were in a good position defending the main areas. What worried him was the thousands of prisoners, thousands of credit lines, being scooped up by the batarians. He couldn't afford to lose this many, his work was unravelling around him!

He snarled as he shot another prisoner who fell flat. This day was a complete shitstorm.

* * *

Shepard calculated. She knew Jacob and Zaeed were already kitted out for the mission. This had supposed to have been a simple pickup, but now she needed more firepower.

She ran to Garrus and Mordin and told them to get suited up for combat. They acknowledged her order, and quickly got to work.

The Normandy closed on the station, bringing the massive structure into view for the first time. Shepard returned to the cockpit. In front of her the holo screen showed the Purgatory. She could make out the batarian ship attached to the station, an ugly conglomeration of disparate parts and hulls.

"Targeting slave ship, commander." Joker said, masterfully flipping the controls.

"No!" Shepard objected. She saw the ship was docked with the station, she had no idea how long they'd been there for. She looked back at Joker, "No telling how many slaves they've got on board. Can't just destroy the ship."

"Shit!" Joker said, he cancelled the target lock. "Didn't think of that."

"Could you take out the engines from here?" she asked. She kept an eye on the info coming in from the station.

"Not without risk of destroying it commander," he replied.

Shepard swore.

"Ok, just cover it and make sure it can't escape. We'll have to clear out the station manually." she turned to leave, but halted, "how soon until we dock?"

"About 3 minutes, commander." Joker replied.

"Good." She said and left the cockpit, she keyed in the comm. "This is Shepard to team members. Get to the airlock! We're leaving now!"

* * *

The normandy matched speed with the station. Its sleek form darted up alongside the leviathan construction of the Purgatory. Manuvering thrusters sounded. Its velocity slowed to a crawl, until it was just inching along beside it, like a mollusc alongside a whale.

It passed over the airlock section. Codes and handshakes were exchanged and a walkway extended, aerial like, out to the Normandy. Magnetic clamps secured themselves to the station. Green lights flashed. Docking warnings sounded all clear.

Shepard's team was moving along the pathway, the bridge between the two ships. They took up position in the airlock, covering the far door. Sounds of tortured metal issued from the other side of the bulkhead.

"Joker, we're in position. Open the far airlock"

"Aye aye commander." came the reply and the door in front of them opened with a hiss of pressurized air.

Shepard signaled for the team to move forward. They complied. They spread out into the room beyond, weapons tracing the line of the room, seeking threats.

The room beyond the airlock was empty. But noises filtered through from the rest of the structure. They felt screams and explosions through the decking. They moved to cover the entrance to the rest of the station.

"We head to the admin area." Shepard commanded. "We keep moving! If we get pinned down, we get swarmed over."

A chorus of acknowledgements returned.

She nodded to her team. "Alright. Open the door."

Garrus flicked with his omni-tool and the door opened. The sounds of struggle amplified. As they moved through the doorway Shepard saw several escapees running in the distance. Beside her, Zaeed took aim. She knocked his gun off target.

"Engage only if they're armed. They're prisoners, and they have rights."

Zaeed grunted, "Bullshit! The things these people have done. . ."

"Doesn't mean we're executioners." she pointed to a stairwell that led to an upper corridor. It was glass lined. Further along the corridor she saw several station guards engaging escaped prisoners.

"Move on!" she said. The squad fell in behind her. They ascended the stairs, around them were the yells and thunderings of a prison riot. Men were beating on their cell walls. Guards were fighting for their lives, the prisoners having scavenged weapons from their fallen comrades.

It was chaos.

The team burst through the doors at the top of the stairs, Shepard was grateful for the warden's access codes. They emerged behind two inmates firing on a guard. They had him pinned down further down the corridor.

Garrus shot the first, a human, in the back. He crumpled. His friend only had time to register his companion fall before his head was blown off by Zaeed. The suppressed station guard cautiously poked his head round.

"Come on out! We're friendly" Jacob yelled.

The guard looked at them. His mind was turning, they weren't blue suns but they certainly weren't prisoners. Not with that gear! They weren't batarians either.

"Who are you?" he yelled back.

"Commander Shepard of the Normandy." Shepard replied. They didn't have time for this, she thought, they needed to be getting further on. "Your warden said you were under attack by slavers, we're here to help."

"Thank the spirits," The guard nodded, accepting this. If they had meant harm. They'd probably be shooting at each other by now. He stood up and made his way over to them.

Shepard looked at the turian, "Tell us how to get to the central admin area."

"Central area, uhh right." he looked round. "Follow this corridor down the spine of the ship. He pointed. Head for the very far end. Shepard followed his finger. "You can't miss it. The area's a warzone!"

"The slavers?" Shepard asked, looking back at him.

More gunfire in the background. He twitched his head to the source, but it was far off. The guard nodded again. "Shortly after docking they blew the power to the cells. All the prisoners are out. It's fucking chaos."

"Why can't we get the nice easy assignments?" Garrus asked.

Shepard keyed her comm bead, "EDI you there?"

"Yes Shepard."

"Do you have any information on the situation around the central admin area?"

A pause. Then, "From the Normandy's scanners, I am detecting a very high number of miniature mass effect field fluctuations that match weapons fire. I urge caution, Shepard." the voice betraying no emotion.

"Noted." she cut the link and turned back to the turian guard.

"What's your name?"

"Uhh, Yannec."

Shepard ejected the half spent heat sink from her weapon. "Well, Yannec you're welcome to come along. Just keep up."

The turian nodded his head. Gripped his weapon. "I've no intention of staying here."

* * *

In stark contrast to the conflict on the Purgatory, the Normandy was almost silent.

The newcomers had remained on the ship, where Kelly had been given the task of interviewing them. Security had increased after Hakkon's incident with EDI, which still had to be resolved.

In the debriefing room, Kelly looked at the newcomer. He sat across the table from her. She noted his silver beard and hair. He seemed uncomfortable in the clothes he was given. It was a Cerberus officer's uniform, she noted the strange icon that he had hung around his neck. A medallion in the shape of a stylised I. A pendant? Piece of jewellery maybe?

She had read the reports Shepard had given her, she had seen the cam footage from the internal systems. To say she was excited was an understatement. She had never dreamt of anything like this. Yes, she had joined Cerberus to do some good for humanity and to see other areas of the galaxy. . .

But now she was given the task of interviewing an entirely unknown people. her excitement was brimming. She felt she was smiling. She tried to calm herself, reminding herself that these people may just be part of a more secretive part of the alliance. She hoped that wasn't the case.

Across the table, Eisenmus looked at the excitable red haired girl in front of him. He sighed inwardly, this was a farce. These people possessed an AI watching their every move and they called them crazed? Eisenmus didn't understand.

He looked behind the girl to the woman standing behind her. The brazenly attractive one. The one seemingly engrossed in her data-slate. She was the real interviewer here. Eisenmus noted. She would observe his reactions to the girl's questions. Removed, she could notice much more than if she was in the subject's direct gaze. Her looks were a deliberate asset to this, men were more inclined to underestimate those with a pretty face.

He had utilized such techniques himself.

But most of his thoughts were elsewhere. The date. . .the date was worrying. Yes the warp was unstable at the best of times but surely a jump of that magnitude was impossible?

He reminded himself. Habitable planet, out of the endless cosmos.

He sighed. Something didn't add up. The statistics. . . his very existence spat in the face of statistics.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by the girl,

"Ok," she said. Putting whatever she was writing on down. "Now, where so we begin?"

Eisenmus looked at her. Her cheerful attitude, her informal tone.

"Ok, I'll start then. I'm Kelly Chambers and I'll just be asking you a few questions?"

He clasped his hands in front of him. "Is this an interrogation?" he asked flatly.

"No! No no no" the girl's head violently moved from side to side. "I just want to try to get a better understanding of you and your friends. We've never met anyone like you before. Well no one has!"

Eisenmus scoffed. Struck by the novel experience of these people not knowing who he was and what authority he once possessed.

"Of that, I am sure." he replied. He noticed a quick glance from the woman behind, calculating.

The girl in front of him continued. "Well, you have my name but I don't have yours yet?" she inquired.

He looked at her, he would answer her questions and co-operate with her questions. She was experienced, and likely reveal more about these people than another, more experienced interviewer would.

He thought again of the woman standing behind her.

"My name is Geralt Derran Eisenmus the second." he replied, "of house Corrinii."

Her eyes lit up, "House Corinii? What is that, your family name?"

"That is my family house. The Corinii were a minor noble house on the planet Wayneburg."

The other woman's eyebrow raised, "What are they, aristocrats or something?"

He considered the term, it was a fair comparison, "A rough approximation, yes." he replied.

Miranda frowned. "Doesn't seem that fair to the people beneath you."

The man shrugged, "It's been that way for millennia. Its the most effective means of government for stability."

"I'd call it unfair and exclusive to the rich. How can a society function like that?"

He shrugged again, "it does. I've thousands of years of history to back up my claims."

Miranda studied the man, turned to Kelly. "Back to the questions."

"oh right," she glanced at her datapad again. " Ok, second question, oh looks like you've partly answered this one. Where did you come form?"

"You already know I come from Wayneburg. It is one of the countless worlds that make up the Imperium."

"Ah, you mentioned that before, what's the Imperium?"

Eisenmus recalled back to his great nation.

"The Imperium is the largest empire the galaxy has ever seen, ruling over a million worlds."

"A million worlds!" Kelly exclaimed. Miranda's eyebrow lifted.

"Surely that's an exaggeration." Miranda said. It would be impossible to govern that big a nation."

"True, no one know for sure how many worlds are in the Imperium. Many are founded or are lost before we even know what's going on. The last count put it roughly at just over a million."

Kelly was in awe. "Imagine the cultures that that big of a nation would encompass. Just think of all the different species that we don't even know about.

His face hardened. "you misunderstand me. The Imperium of Man is the nation of Humanity. There are no aliens in the Imperium."

Miranda shook her head, "That's improbable. There's no way that humans can be the only species. We barely made it out of the solar system and we encountered dozens.

He grinned wryly, "No, you misunderstand again. Humanity has encountered alien life. Thousands of species have been catalogued. The Imperium remains human because it doesn't tolerate alien life."

The shock was apparent on kelly's face, "But you said you catalogued thousands of cultures!"

"True, though thankfully most of those species are either dead or domesticated."

"you killed them? . . "

"Suffer not the xenos to live." he quoted, "One of the core tenants of the Imperium. We have not encountered alien life that has not proven treacherous later on down the line. As a consequence, we do not permit it any more."

"Why do the people allow it?" Miranda asked.

"Allow it? They celebrate it!" he replied. This was strange, he was being asked why imperial citizens should allow the Imperium to continue its duty to protect the human race.

"Its necessary." he continued, "Without the fleets and armies of the Imperium, the human race would have been destroyed by alien or chaos influence millennia ago."

"Sounds like a dictatorship." Miranda replied.

"Some worlds are. Each world mostly governs itself, there are dictatorships, feudalisms, theocracies, monarchies and even the odd democracy. Each is united under the banner of the Imperium."

"Most of your planets aren't democratic?" Miranda asked. This was very unusual. Nearly all species the citadel had encountered had naturally evolved largely democratic governmental models. There were several scientific papers on the inevitability and natural evolution of democracy as a means of co-operation and advancement.

The inquisitor looked at her. "I am a learned man, XO Miranda. I have studied politics at the finest institutions on Wayneburg. Democracy is dependant on the will of the people, who choose leaders by vote. This ensures that only the most average, non committal people rise to leadership, in an attempt to sway the opinion of the largest section of the populace. This can prove disastrous in an emergency."

Miranda nodded, "True, but the benefits to individual freedom surely outweigh the costs."

He crossed his arms, "Then you are naive. What if the fate of a planet depended on its leader to make a swift decision, as is often the case in the Imperium. Many systems are lightly defended, and have to rely on imperial aid. If a hostile fleet arrives, what use is a vote to the people when their cities are razed from orbit?"

"You'd bombard a populated world?"

The question confused Eisenmus. "Sorry, I beg your pardon?"

"Where you come from, they'd actually bombard defenceless cities from orbit?"

The question stumped Eisenmus, "That's usually the recommended tactic when you've rested orbital control away from the enemy." he looked at the two women, "Wouldn't you?"

"No! The council banned firing on any part of a garden world years ago!"

"You listen to politicians about military matters?" Eisenmus asked.

"Yes! It's a good idea." she said, defending a universally popular policy, "How could people live their lives with the threat of orbital bombardment hanging literally over their heads."

"You begin to see our situation." Eisenmus said. "We do not have a council to say what can or can't be done. The alien menace gives no quarter to humanity. All alien life wishes to see Terra a smoking ruin." he leaned back in his chair. "and we give no quarter back."

Miranda shook her head. These people were something else.

"Continue Kelly," she said.

Kelly looked back to the inquisitor.

"Ok, next question. How did you get here?"

Ah! he thought, this one he could answer truthfully!

'I honestly have no idea. During our fight with a warp entity something happened. I remember. . .light,' he concentrated ' and pain, much pain. I woke up on the world you found me on, with nothing but a fragment of our battlefield and the others that came through with me.

'A warp entity?' Miranda asked from the back of the room. 'What's that?'

' An entity is any creature born in the warp, the term is synonymous with daemon where I come from but there are subtle differences.'

'What's the warp?' she followed

He shrugged, 'It has many names, the warp, empyrean, immaterium, aether. Doesn't matter. Its just the name we give to the dimension parallel to this one shaped by emotion and thought. I'm sure you have your own name for it.'

The three looked at each other. Miranda replied, 'I've never heard of anything like that. Kelly? You said you liked your mythologies, any mention?'

'None that I can think of.' the perky redhead said. They turned back to the Inquisitor.

Eisenmus' cool façade cracked. His eyebrows abandoned their posts and moved up his forehead. 'You've never heard of the warp?' he asked.

* * *

Another prisoner went down, shot in the back by Garrus. His friends, realizing they've been flanked, turned to face their new attackers. Shepard didn't give them the chance.

They fell under a fusillade of fire. Jacob added his fire to hers.

They were close to the central area. The corridor was choked with bodies. Piled four deep in some areas. They approached the main entrance to the admin and control block. It looked like someone had tried to storm through.

If they had, it looked like they'd failed.

The guards further down the corridor looked at her suspiciously. They weren't shooting, but their weapons were raised. Shepard slowed her approach. She lowered her weapon.

"Hold!" Yannec shouted from behind her. He shouldered his way through the team to the front. "We aren't prisoners! We're here to see the warden!"

At his appearance, the guards lowered their weapons at the sight of their comrade. Behind Shepard's team was the yells and shouts of fresh prisoners.

"Better move! before more show up" Yannec said and hurried on forward.

"Yeah, I don't want to stay in the open while an angry mob rushes us." Garrus added. Shepard agreed and gave the signal to move on.

As they jogged on through she passed makeshift barricades and fortifications. The damage to the cover and walls was tremendous. Whatever happened here, it had been brutal.

They advanced through the inner sections of the CIC. Guards were propped up against walls for support. Wounded lay everywhere. The ever present sound of gunfire thundered through the corridors.

They entered the CIC. Officers ran about barking orders. In the centre, an old turian saw them enter. He turned towards him

He began walking, his armour was blood spattered, with mixes of red, blue and purple ichor.

"Shepard, it's good to see you." he walked towards her with a slight limp, his face grimaced every time his right foot hit the ground. He grunted "This is a proper mess we've got here."

"How bad?"

"Critical. the central power's been knocked out by the batarians, so we can't even vent the wings and flush them out. We got prison riots all over the station"

A distant explosion rocked the station. The orders on the bridge resumed.

"But that's not our problem, our problem's subject zero." he saw her look. "Yeah, the one you were here to collect! She's gone shepard, broke out when cryo failed. She's tearing the ship apart! I'm trying to get teams to close in on her but she breaks each time."

She looked at the warden, he looked in pretty bad way. "Are you good to fight? You look like you've. ."

"I'm fine!" he snapped. "Get after Jack Shepard! My men can handle the inmates."

Shepard nodded. "Alright, team you heard the man, let's go!"

* * *

Jack was out. Jack was free.

Jack was pissed.

Bastards thought they could hold her HER!. The cowards froze the fuck out of her so she couldn't even fight back.

She blasted a couple more guards. They went flying. She knew she was still on the station. She hadn't been shipped off somewhere.

She ran. She always ran. Always faster than the ones chasing. Hah! They thought that they could catch her

But they had. . . .which was why she was here.

The thought drove her to rage! She screamed and crashed down a section of bulkhead with her biotics. They crumpled under the power.

Around the corner some batarians advanced. They carried some kind of stun gun, they were shooting prisoners, who fell limp on the floor when struck.

'More of the bastards' she thought and charged the batarians and destroyed them. A hurricane of biotic power. Limbs were shorn and bones crumpled. Their bodies flew threw the air.

Once the air deionized, her biotic glow faded. She spied one of them, the last survivor. He was trying to crawl away. Pathetic. . .

She advanced on him, a goddess of death.

He held his hands up in front of him. "No!, no please!. . "

"Feels bad when its you getting shafted isn't it?" she asked and with a grunt, pulped his head under an intense biotic field.

She stood up, looked around her.

The vast space was slowly filling with smoke. Several fires burned in cells above, gas pipelines fuelling the flames. Inmates still in their cells were battering on their walls, like animals in a zoo.

She needed a way off this station.

Escape pods, there must be escape pods somewhere!

* * *

The reflective room tiles glowed momentarily from the flaring of light, before resuming their dark reflective shade.

The illusive man watched the video recordings of the mission that the newcomers had went on. EDI had managed to rip the video and audio recordings direct from the security cameras.

He took a puff of his cigarette.

These newcomers meant business. Up to now, he had only images and Miranda's descriptions of their technology to go on, but now he saw it in action.

And he wanted it.

The power that these two people had brought with them could not be underestimated. Powered armour was still something of a technological prototype despite a century of research. The power requirements for something like that were just over the limit for a practical eezo generator. Besides, barriers had made the entire concept moot.

He took a drink

Not here. He remembered Miranda commenting that these people didn't use element zero. A startling discovery in its own right! The galaxy ran on eezo, it was the currency of the galaxy.

Above all else, the eezo must flow!

He read something similar in a book a while ago.

The entire dynamic of the galaxy rested on this fact. Control enough of the eezo, and you control the markets. Control the markets, and you control the galaxy. If one were to break the monopoly, it would be an unprecedented boon to the discoverer.

He looked at the report from his newest cell. His people were still trying to dig up that damned cathedral from Charles' Rock. He'd only sent Shepard on this mission as a means of getting her out of the way.

A thought stirred inside him, he hadn't expected her to include these new members as part of her team so quickly.

But she had, and they were intriguing.

They were also valuable. He took a drink. And arched his hands in front of him. A status report from another operation pinged to his right, he ignored it for the moment.

He sat, calculating. He knew that the longer he left them with Shepard, the more sympathetic to her cause they'd be, that was just the way Shepard had with people. Leave a criminal around Shepard for long enough and eventually they'll throw themselves on the metaphorical grenade for her.

He exhaled smoke. Which is what he wanted, yes. But. . . he looked at the files from their initial meeting.

Human-centric philosophy with advanced technology and a less than cool attitude towards alien interference. He could definitely see similarities there.

The longer he left them with Shepard, the more sympathetic to her cause they'd become. He calculated. He saw smoke swirl through the air in front of him. Would they be of more use to Shepard in her mission, or to Cerberus as a whole?

He made a decision. He sent word to contact Operative Lawson on the Normandy.

* * *

Shepard saw a lone figure on the lower decking. A corona of blue haze surrounded her. The small woman had decimated a squad of batarians.

"That's Jack?" Garrus asked. Shepard brought up her omni tool, complete with the picture provided.

"Yep, definitely looks like her."

The small woman looked around her, at the carnage she'd just inflicted. She looked up at their direction, was she looking at them?

Her gaze hovered on them a moment before she turned and disappeared into another section of the station.

Shepard hurriedly deactivated the omni tool, "Dammit! Come on, we can't lose her!"

* * *

Jack fought her way tooth and nail through to the airlocks. There had to be escape pods somewhere she could use get off this station.

Or a ship, even. The fucking slavers must had got here somehow. Yeah, that'd do!

She glimpsed back over her shoulder. There were others after her. She didn't know who they were but she saw them on the landings above. They didn't look like the slavers or guards, but she didn't care.

She kept moving

* * *

The room was quiet. In a hiss of mechanical interference, Eisenmus' image fizzled into view at the end of the large room. The sun continued its roiling dance in the window.

The illusive man regarded him, hmm . . . smaller than the pictures suggested.

Eisenmus looked back at the man sitting cross legged in the chair. "I assume you're the illusive man."

The illusive man put his cigarette down and exhaled. "You assume correctly." he got up out of his seat. "You must be the one called Eisenmus, then."

The inquisitor nodded, unsure what to make of the man yet.

The illusive man, taking the cue, continued, "I assume Shepard has told you about my organization, Cerberus?"

Eisenmus shook his head, "She didn't explain it, but I've read a little about it on your extranet."

'Your extranet' the illusive man noted. "And what do you make of us?"

"I had only the briefest chance to skim the article. The article said that Cerberus was a terrorist organization bent on pursuing a pro-human agenda on the galaxy." he decided to stick to the facts for now, to gauge this man's reaction.

The illusive man smiled, "I didn't ask what the article said, I asked what you thought, Eisenmus." he added a little stress on the pronoun.

The inquisitor hesitated. He had read the files on Cerberus and found it to be one of the only points of true thinking in this heretical galaxy. Sure, they did not abide the Emperor's word, but who would've told them?

He must be careful, he reminded himself. Shepard was a soldier at heart, that was clear as day. This one, however. . .he studied the man in the chair. This one had a politician's speech. When a man is in possession of elegant speech, he likely possesses an elegant mind. He thought back to when he encountered Shepard, the thought that went through his mind. The thought that probably saved his life and the lives of his entourage

He needed allies, they needed a patron. Shepard had sufficed, they had needed her ship or they would have died on the planet.

He looked back to the illusive man. This one possessed an organization that drew many parallels with imperial thinking. It was alien to Eisenmus, why they should be shunned by the human race at large. In a galaxy of heretics, these were possibly the only people who saw the xenos threat for what it truly was.

He sighed, there was really only one right Emperor-fearing course open to him if he wished to remain true to himself.

"After seeing a galaxy ridden with heresy and alien collusion. Then learning of an organization that desires humanity its rightful place, I think that you and I have much in common."

The illusive man nodded. He had recognised the inquisitor's delay. "I know what you're thinking, Eisenmus. Did you just bargain away your soul to the devil?" he took a drink, his glass now empty.

"I see the hold you have over Shepard." Eisenmus said, "She dislikes you, maybe hates you. But without your knowledge she'd be lost in her battle against her collectors."

Again, '_her_' collectors, the illusive man noted. Good, he wasn't anchored to Shepard's cause just yet.

He gestured to himself. "Not unlike me, without your resources, I would likewise be lost in my mission to help my colleagues."

The illusive man nodded. His perception shifted. "You fear the strings." he smiled, "We may have more in common than you realise Eisenmus."

He pressed a series of buttons on his omni tool and a 3d image of the Aggripus inner sanctum appeared in mid air between them.

"Look familiar?"

Eisenmus nodded. Not sure what this meant. "Yes, that's the remnants of the inner sanctum."

The illusive man gestured to it. "As a show of trust I will tell you that your recent mission to the mercenary compound was a distraction." He saw the inquisitor's eyebrow raise. He continued, It was a distraction to allow my people to close in on the site and recover it. I have seen your recent combat prowess Eisenmus. I want mankind to have that!"

He closed the image.

He rose from his chair briefly overtake by the force of his own argument. "That can't happen with Shepard! She doesn't see what humans are truly capable of. Any edge I can give humanity, I'll give it." h pointed to Eisenmus, cigarette in hand. "And you may provide that edge."

He lowered his and and sighed. " I don't expect you to trust me. I'd be worried if you did. He returned to his chair, refilled his drink.

Eisenmus stood, observing. The man continued,

"We're both too smart for that. I see the knowledge behind that façade." he smiled and drank. "I speak to admirals, politicians, generals, scientists, even the occasional business mogul." he looked at Eisenmus. "And I see in some of them what i see in you. The intellect."

"Don't flatter me with false praise." Eisenmus replied, he crossed his arms.

The illusive man smiled, "Funny, you'd be surprised how many of the people I'm talking about say that."

Eisenmus weighed the options in his mind. "You want co-operation?"

"Yes."

"Then what would you want from us?" he asked. Deciding to seek the direct answer the man had been skirting round.

To his surprise, the man was forthright. "Your technology, your knowledge, your experience and your combat prowess." he took another drink. "You don't realise it Eisenmus, but you represent the most important technological paradigm shift in the history of the galaxy. I want Cerberus to have that, I want mankind to have that."

Eisenmus contemplated this. "I need time to think about this."

The illusive man nodded. "Of course. Speak to Operative Lawson when you've reached your decision." he keyed in another series of buttons on his chair. "We'll talk then, Eisenmus." and closed the call.

* * *

Shepard's boots ran along the floor, clanging the metal underfoot. They had to keep moving, Jack was heading for the airlock sections.

She felt an impact on her shoulder. her shield held. She barrelled into cover to her left. impacts hit the opposite side. You're too slow, she thought.

She saw Mordin in front of her. Cold and professional. He ducked out. Loosed a burst and ducked back in. A batarian down field went down.

"Not difficult!" she heard him taunt.

"Got some over here!" Garrus yelled as 2 batarians came round a bulkhead. he shot the first. A clean shot that took its head off. His friend lurched to one side behind cover. he loosed a stream of rounds in their direction.

Shepard took a few hits moving to new cover. The shield held. She looked back at the originals in front of her.

Poked her head out, pulled back immediately. Her cover pinged as shots impacted on it.

"Problematic" she heard Mordin say next to her.

"No shit." she keyed the comm. "Messani, put some fire down their direction!"

"You got it Shepard!" the batarian position

She looked round and fired another burst. Another slaver went down and his friends lunged into cover.

He kept his head down, when he resurfaced, it disappeared with a high powered shot from Garrus."

"That's all of them." he said.

"Shepard." EDI's voice chirped in her ear.

"Go ahead EDI." she replied.

"I am detecting an unusually high amount of biotic energy in front of you. It may be your target, Jack. I advise caution."

Was there ever a time when EDI didn't advise caution? "Noted." she replied and turned back to her team. "Stay sharp! Jack may be just around the corner."

* * *

Jack ran along one of the outer corridors of the station. She didn't know which. She was pretty sure this was the way to the docking stations.

Behind her she had left a trail of carnage and death. Anyone that had stood in her way. Slaver, Guard, Inmate had been destroyed. She didn't care who they were, if they dared stand between her and her freedom, they were dead.

She turned a corner, sprinting as she did. A new corridor, one of the perimeter routes. A large glass view screen ran along the left side, looking out into the abyss beyond.

There was a ship docked there. It was sleek, she saw the smooth line of the hull. The station lights illuminated it as a black and white painted hull.

It had the Cerberus logo blatantly plastered on its prow.

Jack froze in her tracks. Her mouth stood agape at the logo. That fucking logo!

She screamed. Where did she have to go for them to leave her alone?! Why did they keep hunting her? What the fuck was their problem?!

All very deep questions, all needed answering.

In a burst of rage she pummelled a bulkhead with a blast of biotics. The steel relented under the bombardment. Echoes of tortures steel echoed through the hallway.

"Jack?" A voice to her left! She spun to the source, biotics flaring.

She saw the source. A woman, she was human and kitted out in a void hard suit. There were others too, four of them. They stood behind the centre woman.

They were armed!

"Stay the fuck away from me! you hear!" She clenched her fists, readying a blast.

To her surprise the woman in the centre lowered her weapon. Her other hand went up in a gesture of peace.

"Easy Jack, we're not here to hurt you." The woman then gestured for her team to do the same.

"Bullshit! You're here to lock me up, drag me back to a cell and put me in storage like a trophy. No thanks!"

The woman's mood changed, her helmet slightly distorting her voice, "God dammit! We just saved your ass from the slavers! We're here to get you out!"

"Yeah right!" she pointed to the ship " I know a Cerberus ship when i see one!"

"I'm not with Cerberus!" Shepard replied. "I'm using them for their resources!"

"Yeah, right!" Jack spat back. She heard a groan of steel from above her.

A rumbling issued through the station. The floor trembled.

The woman continued, "Listen, this station's coming apart around us. I've got the only ride out that isn't in a slave cell." she pointed at her ship. "I'm offering to take you with me.. ." she pointed at Jack, "and you're arguing!"

Jack looked at the frigate. . .that fucking logo!

"If you want to stay here and die in space, that's fine, we'll leave." Shepard said and turned. "We'll leave the door open." She ordered her team to turn around. They began to leave Jack in the hallway.

Jack's mind raced. What was happening? They weren't supposed to give up, they were supposed to fucking fight her! That's what they always did!

Her eyes darted to the ship, the noise of straining metal around her was getting loader.

She looked at their backs, they'd soon be out of sight.

Fuck! she thought.

"Wait!" she cried out, and started after them. The leader woman turned to face her.

"I'll come with you, on the condition I get files about me, you say you've got Cerberus resources? I want my files."

"Fine." Shepard replied, she couldn't care. The station shook again. "Now get on the ship! we're leaving!"

Joker's voice suddenly burst through the comm, "Commander! The batarian ship's just left the dock. It's firing on the station! You need to move NOW!"

She turned back to the team "You heard Joker! move it now, we're out of here!"

"Don't have to tell me twice" said the already running Zaeed. Garrus wasn't too far behind him.

Shepard looked at the small woman, "Come on! Let's go!"

The woman scowled. "Whatever."

* * *

Purgatory was originally an ark ship, built to store animals in case they needed to be moved from ecological catastrophe.

It wasn't armoured.

Its structure buckled under the batarian's fire. Mass accelerated projectiles punched through its hull, gutting its interiors. Ugly gashes, like new wounds, spewed interior into the void. Cargo and bodies were sucked into oblivion. Vibrations rippled along the station's spine. Bulkheads cracked, compartments were crushed. Cell modules were flung out into space, some still with prisoners.

With each impact of the mass drivers, shockwaves resonated throughout the station. The engines destabilised and detonated. The back section of the craft disappeared in a firestorm of debris and flame. The front section broke away, drifting aimlessly through the void, its surface being punctured by thousands of micro impacts from the expanding cloud of ruin that used to be the engines.

Warden Kuril coughed, something that looked like blood was retched up. He couldn't tell, the red emergency lights made it impossible to determine colour.

That wasn't good.

He thought he heard his omni-tool beeping for him. He turned it on, it was Shepard.

"Warden, you there?"

He coughed again, more blood. He looked down, a jagged piece of glass was embedded in his abdomen.

"here Shepard." he wheezed. " Get your guys out of here."

"Warden? Where are you, we can ..

"Noo. . .!" he retched, the display to his left flickered. It displayed the damage to the station. It was done for.

His work. . .done for. . .

He could've done some good for the galaxy. So much good. . .

He slumped back down on the floor. "Go Shepard!" he wheezed into the comm, "I'm not going anywhere."

A pause from the other end. The alarms and damage sirens still cried out around him.

"Acknowledged warden." another pause, " It was an honour, Kuril."

The warden snorted, "Dammit Shepard, Get out of here before I change my mind about rescue" he cut the link.

The station was coming down around him. Kuril dragged himself up into his chair.

Warning lights issued from every surface. A breach alarm was going off somewhere.

His wound was brutal. He felt the glass scrape against his organs as he breathed. He sighed.

"What a crappy day." he said before the CIC structure finally relented to the strain and the room vented to space.

* * *

The Normandy flew away from the space station as it broke apart. A listing ruin floating in nothing. Several micro-projectiles pinged off its kinetic barriers as it glided away from the wreck. It turned in space, thrusters blazing.

Its prow turned towards the fleeing batarian ship.

It gave chase, charging through the empty vacuum. Stealth systems were engaged, to the enemy, they all but disappeared from view.

Joker deftly manned the controls, feeling the ship beneath him. The inertial dampeners not entirely eliminating all the forces of acceleration. He guided the ship towards the target. Moments later Shepard appeared behind him

"Where are they, Joker?"

"Right in front of us commander." he flicked a control and a screen showing the ship appeared to his left. "They haven't seen us yet, commander. If they have, they aren't showing it."

Shepard nodded. "Good, I want to get right up their ass before they know we're there."

"Commander?" Joker asked, " what are we going to do when we are? i told you we couldn't damage the ship without risking destruction."

She nodded. "Yeah I remember. EDI's going to be doing the work."

"EDI?" Joker asked, something like distaste appearing in his tone.

"Yeah, back on the station I remembered what she said on cyber warfare. For the last ten minutes, she's been getting in their systems. She says she just needs to get close enough to deliver the final package."

"If only you'd thought of that sooner, the station mightn't. . ." he stopped as Shepard shot him a look of pure death. He shut up.

"How long until they reach the relay?" she asked.

"Uhh, just hold one. . .ah, just under an hour, commander."

Shepard looked at the readings in the cockpit. 'Estimated time to interception - 18 minutes. She grunted. "Good. EDI?"

"Yes commander?" the blue sphere appeared on the surface.

"How long until we're close enough for you to get in their systems?"

"We should be close enough in 4.1 minutes, Shepard. The infiltration package is ready to be executed."

"Good. I want you to hold off for ten more minutes, until we're close enough for a shuttle launch."

"Understood Shepard."

She switched comm links, "This is Shepard. All purgatory team members, get back to the shuttle hangar! We're not finished with these bastards yet!"

The Normandy closed in on the batarian ship, silently making its way closer and closer. It passed over the threshold of EDI's cyber suites, but the AI waited, bided its time until Shepard commanded it.

Closer and closer the Normandy got, until the vessel was almost visible with the naked eye.

Shepard turned to Joker. "Open a channel to their ship."

"You know that'll cancel the stealth systems right?"

"Yeah,"

"Alright, just making sure." he keyed in several commands on the flight controls and nodded to her. She tapped her earpiece.

"Batarian vessel!" she commanded, "This is commander Shepard of the SR-2 Normandy. You are to stand down and surrender immediately."

She paused awaiting a reply. It came

"Ha! Like hell. Tell you what, why don't. ."

"No! you listen here." Shepard interrupted. "You just destroyed that prison ship. Killing thousands. I am giving you ONE chance before I take matters into my own hands."

"Listen Shepard, if you could've destroyed us, you'd have done so back at the station. I'm not listening to your bluffing." the channel was cut.

"He seemed friendly." the dry remark coming from Joker.

Shepard shook her head and threw her arms up, " I gave him a chance. . . I gave him a chance!" She stormed out of the cockpit.

"EDI?" she said on the move. "Launch the package. Fuck up their systems."

"Understood Shepard." the synthesized voice replied.

If one could see it, a burst of data erupted across the empty space between the two vessels. EDI's programming infiltrated the batarian ship, seeking any disruption it could do. Power was cut, weapons were disabled, controls were locked.

On the exterior, the engines sputtered and died, thrusters stopped firing in coordination, tilting the ship into a spiral. Exterior lights dimmed as the ship floated, without control, through space.

While it tumbled, a small shuttle from the Normandy streamed towards it. On board, was a very angry woman.

* * *

The airlock opened and Shepard burst out, rifle ready. All the lights were out, her helmet light illuminating a circle of light in front of her. Behind her, Garrus and Jacob moved into the batarian ship, likewise ready for combat. The team moved out to secure the room, Mordin and Zaeed the last out of the shuttle.

She gestured to a door and the team made their way to cover it. Shepard gestured to three and opened it.

Inside, was a group of the batarians scattered throughout the room, all holding tools trying to fix control stations. When her team entered, they yelled in shock.

Shepard didn't give them the chance to reach for their weapons.

She fired. She put one down. She swivelled, another fell back, knocked over the control station he was working on.

Garrus felled another. Shot through the heart by a series of quick successive blasts.

The others were gunned down where they stood by her team.

She gestured the team to move forward. They were heading for the bridge.

They advanced through the ship, dispatching any who they came across. EDI had uploaded the path to their helmet visors. They kept going, not far now.

Captain Barc heard gunfire. He looked around, his bridge crew had heard it as well. He drew his weapon.

"You hear that?" he asked his officers. They nodded. They reached for their sidearms. Faulty bridge systems forgotten.

Suddenly the door opened and a small device trundled through on the ground.

"Grenade!" he heard one of his officers shout before it exploded. The man nearest the door was blown from his feet. The shockwave threw Barc out of his chair. His face slammed against the floor.

Argh, that hurt. He drove himself up from the floor and readied his weapon. There was dust everywhere, his vision was reduced to zero.

The dust irritated him, he coughed. He tried to make out something in the haze, anything. He thought he saw a shape, it looked like a person.

He brought his weapon up to the shape, but before he could, the shape moved. It went out of sight.

Then he heard gunfire. Screams. Yells. He recognised the voices. The voices of his bridge crew.

He couldn't see. Shapes, half hidden in the dust moved around him. The screams continued.

He panicked.

He began to run, anywhere, it didn't matter. His foot caught something and he fell again. He heard voices behind him. More gunfire. He needed to run.

He raised himself off the floor, then felt something like a punch hit him in the back. He didn't know what it was, he didn't care.

He commanded his legs to move, they failed him. he slumped forwards, once more hitting the floor. he grunted, a feeling started to rise through his body. He tried to get up. His legs wouldn't obey him. He tried again, again they didn't respond.

he looked down and saw a gaping hole in his right thigh. He'd been shot! He'd been fucking shot!

He desperately tried to use his arms to crawl his way out. The dust had almost cleared now and he could see the bridge door. he wanted to be away from whoever was in here with him. He felt another punch in his back, this time much harder and his world went black.

* * *

"That's the last of them, Shepard." Garrus said. He ejected the spent heatsink from his rifle.

She nodded. "Good. Mordin, how's that beacon looking?"

"Simple matter of activating emergency systems. Beacon should be active in 2 minutes. Rescue already en-route." He didn't look from his work.

"Good." she keyed in her comm. "EDI, how long's this ship disabled for?"

"Optimistic projections put the vessel regaining FTL capability in 16 hours. Accounting for reboot of eezo drive and subsequent calibrations."

"Shame Garrus not part of crew." Mordin interjected.

"What does that mean?" Garrus asked.

Shepard shook her head "EDI, do you have access to this ship's logs?"

"Yes, Shepard. The shutdown code also permitted me access to the ship's files."

"How many slaves are on board?"

A slight pause from the AI. "Current ship manifests display 587 individuals on board not listed as part of the crew, Shepard."

Shepard swore. She heard Zaeed whistle.

"That's a lot of fucking people." he exclaimed.

"Capture may be fortunate for them." Mordin chimed on, " Purgatory destroyed. Those captured survive likely due in part to batarian capture."

Shepard didn't like Mordin's view that these people had been fortunate. But she couldn't deny his twisted logic.

"What're your orders Shepard?" Garrus asked. " Now that we're sitting on a boat full of convict slaves."

Shepard thought about this. Every instinct said free them now, it was abominable to be someone else's puppet. . .but these were hardened criminals, the same ones they had just been fighting on the station. If they let them loose now, chances are they'd start another riot.

"We'll stay until the rescue ships show up." she concluded. "Mordin? That beacon goes up in 2 minutes, correct?"

"Yes Shepard. High priority distress signal, sent to alliance."

She nodded. She still had her old codes for high priority signals. Even if they'd changed them, they'd still send someone pretty quick to find out who had those codes.

She holstered her weapon and sat in the captain's chair. It was unusually comfortable.

"Make yourselves comfortable people." She said, "We're going to be here awhile."

* * *

The room remained dark, blinders had been lowered to dim the room. The sun was unusually active recently.

The hologram fizzed into existence. The image of Eisenmus sharpened into view. The illusive man put down his drink and looked at his guest.

"Have you thought about my proposal?"

The hologram nodded. It looked straight at the man and clasped his hands behind it's back. "We will work with you illusive man, and see where your loyalties really lie."

He smiled and took a puff from his cigarette. The sun behind him cast a gentle glow on his silhouette.

"You won't regret this, Eisenmus. . ." he put out his cigarette on his armrest. It fizzed and died.


	5. The butterfly flaps

_Author's Note: A slightly shorter one today! As always any comments or reviews no matter how critical are greatly appreciated. _

_Onwards!. . ._

* * *

**Chapter Five: The Butterfly Flaps**

She drifted in the sea of unconscious thought. She glided through emptiness as she felt her mind around her.

I'm not awake she thought, with clarity that came with age and insight into her own mental workings. The thought triggered a collapse in her floating dream state. Shards broke apart from her surroundings and fell down. Where to? she didn't know. Looking up was a darkness, the darkness that came with waking. She felt her muscles and body within her again. Looking around she saw blackness.

She realised her eyes were closed. She opened them.

Something swam in her vision. The world around her came back into focus. She blinked. She saw the metal ceiling above her, the low hum of machinery vibrating through the structure. She turned her head.

She was lying on the bed, she must have passed out, she thought. She tried to remember back to the point where she dropped unconscious. She thought better of it as the painful psychic residue of the vision was still swirling around in her mind.

She sat up on the bed, her head span but she managed to stay upright. Looking round, she saw no trace of Eleiyra, she couldn't sense the ranger in the room either. Suspicion gripped her and she reached out with her mind.

She winced with the psychic effort. It was a painful experience after so recently waking. The ever present blinding light of the monkeigh trinket pervaded her sight. Through the blinding light, like a silhouette through a fog, she sensed the ranger's presence. It was very close by. Good, she thought and with relief withdrew her mind sight back within her. She was close, and alive. Probably wandered off as she does.

Her questions returned to her immediate environment. How long was I out? she thought to herself.

She turned on the bed and risked to stand. She rose from the sheet, her legs were weak but she regained her balance momentarily. To get rid of the vertigo, she paced the small room, trying to get some blood flowing back into her limbs.

"The warp is silent. .." the thought turned over and over in her mind. She briefly considered taking another look to see if she could confirm what she saw, but thought better of it. She shook her head to herself. It had taken all her concentration to break through it before, she was spent. She simply couldn't summon the effort needed.

She felt warm feeling return to her legs. Her steps more confident and comfortable. In time .. . . she thought, when my strength's returned I'll look again.

Something itched her eye. She put a hand up to her face and it came away covered in dust. hmm, from that abomination's duel she thought. She realised she hadn't washed since the fight on the monkeigh world.

She looked round the room she'd spent the last two days in. The desk, the small table, the bed and a couple of storage cupboards. She walked over and sat at the desk. There was a monkeigh machine placed on it. She didn't know what it did.

The warp is silent.

The thought gnawed at her, eating at her attention. She needed confirmation. She realised she was tapping her fingers on the table.

Slowly, insidiously, a thought grew in her mind. Of all the people nearby, there was one she could discuss psychic dealings with. Her face turned to irritation. It irked her, to discuss such things with this. . . this . . .monkeigh was laughable, their understanding was so primitive.

But. . .

He was the only one who knows of the warp and its risks. Only he would even know how to confirm or deny what she saw. She needed no more than that.

She sighed. She didn't have many choices. With care, she rose and headed out of her room, for the first time since she arrived. She sought out the monkeigh inquisitor.

She made her way through the ship, she passed several of the crew. They gave her strange looks. This was odd. In her experience, normal human expressions conveyed hostility and anger anywhere she encountered them. These ones here were a mix of what she thought was curiosity and surprise.

She stopped one of them. A male, he looked to be a crew member.

"Do you know where the Imperials are located on this ship?" she asked the man.

"The Imperials?" the man replied. His gaze seemed fixed on her. To her surprise and slight revulsion, his eyes downwards from her face.

"The other three that arrived with us." she continued. She ignored his wandering eyes.

The voice! Her voice! he thought as the hapless man's brain struggled to compute a response, "Oh the others!" his words sputtered out in a stream, "they're just down that corridor there," he pointed, "the second door on your left."

She looked and turned back to the man and nodded, she then left down the hall. She felt the man's stare on the back of her head. It irked her.

She arrived at the door and knocked. Moments later, it was answered by the inquisitor. His face immediately turned to a scowl. Glaedara felt oddly reassured by the familiar reaction.

"What do you want, xeno?" he asked.

"There is something we need to discuss, concerning the warp."

He crossed his hands. "Oh"? he replied.

"This is a conversation that needs to be had without unwanted attention" she said. Glancing round.

Eisenmus saw the glance. She was serious. He nodded.

The farseer entered and the door shut behind them. Inside his room, Eisenmus sat at his desk. The eldar remained standing just inside the doorway.

"What about the warp?" he asked

"The warp is silent." she replied plainly.

Eisenmus shrugged, this meant nothing. The warp was silent around a hundred worlds. It was the flow and ebb of the thing. Though, looking at her now, he sensed that these words meant something more.

"What do you mean 'silent'?"

He doesn't understand, she thought. He doesn't know anything's wrong yet.

"There is no movement, no flow, no ebb, no currents. The warp is as a lifeless pond of water. Completely and utterly flat and empty." she explained.

Eisenmus rubbed his beard, "That's very unusual." he replied, "Are we in the eye of some storm then?" He heard her sigh, he swore he saw her green eyes flash for a second.

"No, you misunderstand monkeigh, lifeless. There are no daemons, no currents. I pierced the blinding aura of your trinket to look upon it. There was nothing there." she briefly had a flashback to the deafening silence that pervaded the warp here. With effort, she brought herself back to the moment.

Eisenmus nodded. That was very unusual, he thought, "What do you mean, are you saying that you saw no daemons in the warp?"

She nodded. Eisenmus' brow furrowed. "What's the significance of that?" he asked. His mind was turning fully now, back into inquisitorial mode. This was a question, and the question needed an answer.

"I don't know yet." she replied, truthfully.

Eisenmus grasped his hands. "I've seen nothing of the sort."

"It took all my concentration to break through that insidious fog your trinket pervades around itself," she said. My psychic powers far outstrip your own."

He grunted. Annoyed at being insulted by the eldar, though he did agree with her. She no doubt outclassed him.

"What would be your suggestion?" he asked.

"Discard the trinket out into space. Let me put some distance between. . .

The inquisitor rose from his seat. "Unacceptable! Unthinkable!" Eisenmus snapped. The very notion! "That thing is the one of the holiest relics in the Imperium. I won't have your kind throw it out the airlock like some damned piece of rubbish!"

Glaedara remained impassive, "Regardless.. ." the eldar continued, "To see the warp properly we can't have that trinket near us. It blinds us."

"Then we shall be blind. I'll not part with it. I've been more than gracious with you, xeno." he pointed towards her.

"Quite." she said. her eyes narrowed towards the inquisitor, she dared not move for risk of inciting more emotion. Let him mull over the undertones in her reply.

Eisenmus paused. He forced his anger down, the accusing finger with it. A question popped up, one he had stumbled across earlier in his researches. now that the farseer was here, he could ask.

"In this time." he began, sitting back down, "where. . when, we are now. What would have been the state of the eldar?"

The farseer's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"I know your kind ruled the stars before humanity took its rightful place. But how far would your empire have stretched?"

She thought. This was a strange question. One she was uncomfortable discussing with a monkeigh.

"We spanned the galaxy." she replied, keeping the answers vague. "Our borders extended even beyond your weakling Imperi. ."

"Yes, yes I know that." the inquisitor interrupted. Glaedara baulked. Offended at having been so abruptly cut off. He lifted his arm. She saw something on it, a machine? He pointed to it.

"You see, I've searched their databases for anything that may resemble you or your eldar empire. It's come up with nothing." he leant on the desk. "This may be difficult for an eldar, but I need the truth here. It only hurts both of us if you lie. Did you truly encompass the galaxy or did you just say that to boost your own race's stature."

"I speak the truth monkeigh." she snapped, annoyance rising in her. "Why does your kind find it so difficult to accept that other species have reached higher than your own?"

He sighed. "Then we have a problem. If I can't find anything eldar related in these histories and star charts. . . " he gestured around him, "Then where are they?"

Glaedara had pondered this herself. The warp does not lie. (the beings inside it however, lie incessantly) It was still, as smooth as glass. Any use of any psychic abilities moulds it, creates ripples and waves in the great sheet of the warp. If there were eldar in this galaxy. It would have been disturbed.

She shook her head, "I don't know. I want to study this more. If you won't throw that trinket out then I need to be further away from it."

"How far?" he brought his hand up to his chin.

"Maybe if it was here and I were on a planet. But even then, the distance is very close."

He nodded, slowly. "What do you expect to find?"

"I don't know. I don't know why the warp is as quiet as it is."

"Would it have something to do with our arrival? Would we have caused it to be this quiet?" he asked. She shook her head.

"No, entire starships and hulks sometimes drift through time. They don't cause the warp to act like it does."

He arched his hands in front of his face as he considered this. He looked across the desk to the eldar standing in his doorway. But has anything drifted as far as we have before?. . . he thought to himself.

* * *

The batarian ship and the Normandy drifted listlessly through space together. Like a predator and her prey. The Normandy's sleek form kept rotation and velocity with the listing paralysed ship. It's weapons and scanners remained trained on it. Not that it could present a threat now. Shepard's crew had gone through the entire ship, seeking out any remaining slavers and dispatching them.

She had decided to remain with the ship and wait for the alliance to respond. Their distress signal had went out on the alliance buoy network, by now it would have been picked up by every outpost nearby.

Armed with evidence from Freedom's Progress, perhaps she could get their help in the fight with the collectors. She hoped that her word would still count for something.

They waited. . .

3 hours they waited. Until,

"Commander," Joker piped through her earpiece. "Alliance vessels appearing on scanner.

"Acknowledged joker, I'll be right there."

She left her quarters and headed up to the cockpit, Joker heard her approach.

He pointed to the viewscreen. It displayed the IFF and specifications of the new arrivals.

"Four ships commander, a cruiser and 3 frigate class." His shands manipulated the controls to bring up the comm system. He gestured to it.

"All yours, commander." and leaned back in his chair.

She nodded and leant on the control panel in front of her. "This is Commander Shepard to alliance vessels. Please respond."

Nothing but static was their reply. The seconds ticked by. Then, a perplexed voice, "Did you say commander Shepard? Confirm."

"Confirm. I'm Commander Shepard, now who am I speaking to?" she replied

"You're supposed to be dead!"

She sighed, this was going to be a pain.

"Its a long story. Suffice to say that I'm very much alive."

"Comm officer Dack reporting. There's a good many people will be glad to hear you're back." the call abruptly cut off. Static for a second. What was going on? Shepard thought

A new voice came through on the comm, more stern, "This is captain Denver of the alliance cruiser Germania. Cerberus vessel, explain your actions."

A shift in tone. This had been passed up the totem pole. "This is commander Shepard of the SR-2 Normandy. We just disabled a disabled Batarian ship containing hundreds of slaves. A good many of them are human. We request any help you could provide." She heard hesitation from the other end of the line. Shepard looked out into the void. Seeing if she could see the other ships yet, she couldn't.

"Granted. But you are to stand down and remain where you are until we can ascertain why you're on a Cerberus warship." the tone was final.

Shepard grunted. She'd expected this. Cerberus wasn't exactly on good ground with the rest of the galaxy.

She leaned in "We'll remain where we are. But I'll not allow any security forces over on my ship. I'll come over to yours. We'll speak face to face."

Much deliberation. Shepard heard low murmur in the transmission. She couldn't make out any words.

The voice returned. "Acceptable. Be here in 15 minutes. Denver out."

"He's a little on edge." Joker said.

"It's to be expected I suppose." she said. She keyed in her comm. "Mordin, meet me in the shuttle bay in 5 minutes, we're heading over to the alliance ship."

"Understood Shepard. Will be there in 5." the professor's voice chirped.

"You're taking Mordin?" Joker asked

"Figured it would be good to have someone who used to be in STG. Reliable source of intelligence."

"Ah, gotcha commander."

"Don't do anything that'd antagonize them while I'm gone, Joker." She said as she left for the shuttle bay.

"When would I ever do something like that?" he replied.

* * *

Hayt grimaced as he tried to pull himself up from the bed. His wounds still hurt, and no amount of that foreign gel was going to stop them anytime soon.

He looked up. He was in the ship's medical bay. It was clean and spartan, much like many medical facilities he'd visited over the years.

His side pierced with pain and he gritted his teeth. It didn't feel this bad before, hmph. . . bloody doctors . . .

With effort, he swung his legs around and attempted to get off the bed. He needed out, he was famished. he hadn't eaten since the night before. He grunted as his legs hit the floor, sending a shockwave of pain up his leg, but he limped on. He made his way over to the door, it opened for him.

Outside, he looked round for something. He saw a man behind a counter on the other side of the room. From his position in bed, he'd seen the man give out food to the crew. Hayt was famished and he limped over to the mess hall, up to him.

The mess hall officer looked at Hayt stagger up to his counter.

"So you're one of the new guys we just picked up, eh?"

Hayt nodded. "Seems that way. How can a guy get some food around around here?"

"Well, you're talking to the right guy, name's Sergeant Gardner, ships cook. Among other things besides."

Hayt's expression lit up, in his experience on a starship, the cooks were the best friends of everyone on board."

"So, what do I have to do to get some food off you, your doctor's had me on nothing but some nutrient paste."

The officer's expression turned to shock, "Shit! That stuff! When's the last time you had a proper meal?"

Hayt thought, "I actually can't remember, it'd be before Shepard picked us up on that planet."

The sergeant looked shocked. "Shii-it. I can't have you starving out on us. Ain't natural." he reached under the counter. "Dinner's at 6, but i can't leave you going that long without something. Chakwas is a fine doctor, one of the best. But the food in there's god awful. Even worse than our rations, heh."

He pulled out what looked like a tray covered in clear plastic.

"It ain't gourmet crap if that's what you're thinking, but's it's solid and packed fulla' protein." he handed it to Hayt, who accepted it with great thanks.

"Thank you." He outstretched his right hand. "Major Hayt. At your service."

"Nice to meet you, Major." he clasped the soldier's hands and shook it. The man had a firm grip.

"I'll leave you to your work, Gardner, I've got a belly to fill."

"Heh, yeah. Don't tell Chakwas I gave you that. That woman'll have my head."

Hayt chuckled. He decided he liked this Gardner.

As he left he thought he heard the man mumble something. Something about getting back to work maybe?

He looked round the mess hall, a tiny thing, just several tables or so. A couple of people were chatting at one of them. he ventured over to the empty table and tore off the plastic coating on his meal. He picked up what looked like a slab of meat like substance and took a bite. It tasted of nothing in particular. Probably for the best, he thought. But it was chewy and solid, and his starved stomach greedily accepted it.

As Hayt ate. Zaeed made his way into the mess hall. He walked up to Gardner, talked for a minute before they both exchanged something on their omnitools. Then gardner pulled out a bottle of something and handed it to Zaeed. They laughed and left each other.

Zaeed saw Hayt wrestling with his meal. He approached the Major and sat down opposite.

"You're that other fella from the planet aren't you?"

Hayt put his piece of mystery food down. "Yeah? You are?"

"Zaeed Masanni!" the man replied and removed the bottle's cap. He took a drink.

"Major Hayt," the imperial replied.

Zaeed looked at him. "You're a soldier, through and through, I can tell. Got an eye for these things." he grunted, "heh, one of 'em anyway."

He took another drink. " but what about you, what's your story. Haven't seen you about the ship."

Hayt nodded towards the med bay. "Been stuck in there till now. The doctor left, and I escaped."

He looked round to the med bay, "Ha! Man after my own heart. I swear to you bloody doctors. . .they'll kill you sooner than the bullets." he offered the bottle to Hayt, who took it. He took a drink, he coughed.

"bloody good stuff isn't it?" Zaeed grinned and accepted the bottle back. "Illegal most places now.. . "

Hayt recovered. "So what's your story then? I know a fellow soldier when I see one as well."

Zaeed chuckled. "Soldier's not the word you're looking for. . .Mercenary's more like it. Tagging along with high and mighty Shepard in the deal of a lifetime." he gestured theatrically with his arms and took a sip. "Bloody good pay. Have to hunt collectors more often."

He looked at Hayt. "But you still haven't told me your story. Come on then, don't leave an old man in suspense. You in the army, or. . .your army?"

Hayt nodded. He chewed on his protein bar. "Major Hayt, originally with the 14th Bellrec Stormtroopers. got scouted by the Inquistion, been with the inquisitor ever since."

"That's the old man right?" Zaeed asked. Hayt nodded. "That man gets the job done!" Zaeed exclaimed. "I've seen the footage from the merc outpost. Your old man did a number on the mercs there, bloody tore 'em to shreds."

Hayt grinned, yeah that did sound like Eisenmus. "That old man is the most dangerous person I know." he said.

Zaeed looked back to him. "Stormtroopers, you said? I take it that ain't alliance?"

Hayt shook his head. "Where we're from, Stormtroopers are the elite spec forces."

"Ah, some fancy high roller then are you? How many missions you been on?"

Hayt struggled to recall. The old adage was true. Put any two soldiers together and almost immediately they'll start comparing war stories.

"Can't recall exactly, somewhere around 200."

"Bullshit!" Zaeed said. "I must be half as old as you again and I haven't done anywhere near that."

Hayt grinned. "There's no shame in losing to the best."

Zaeed snorted, "Ha! the best! I could run rings around you anyday of the week, sunshine."

He gave the bottle to Hayt again, who took another swig. He grimaced.

Zaeed accepted the bottle back, nodding, "now you're getting it, sunshine." and took another drink.

* * *

As the new alliance arrivals came within visual range, the Normandy was dwarfed by their mass. Unlike the Normandy, whose form was sleek from bow to stern, every inch curved and angled in such a way to minimise detection, these new vessels were anything but. They made no attempt at subtlety or aesthetics. Each armed with a bow mounted cannon, they homed in on the Normandy's position, taking great care to keep their forward guns facing to two suspicious ships.

From one of the suspicious ships, the one that had identified itself as the Normandy. A shuttle zoomed out from its hangar and made a path towards the alliance ships. It crossed the no man's land in the void and slowed to enter the hangar of the closest ship.

The hangar resonated with the shuttle's downwash. Its engine cries reverberating throughout the hard metal container. It touched down and the engines stopped, Shepard disembarked.

She looked at her welcoming party. The captain stood in the centre, obviously, she thought. A short, bulky man with short shaved brown hair and stubble to match. It gave the impression of a prickly animal. He was observing her closely.

She glanced around at the other figures. An awful lot of security for what should be a dialogue, she thought.

As she neared him, he spoke, "Commander Shepard? Shit, it really is you."

"In the flesh. Now can you help us or not?" She wasn't in the mood for any political or tactical conversation.

He nodded. Taken aback by the abruptness. "Yes, we have supplies being collected as we speak, but we don't have enough transport space to move them all, so we've sent out a request for a cargo ship to come in and get them out."

She nodded. "Good."

"However Shepard, I have some questions."

"I do too" she said, " But I don't want to ask you. I would request to speak to admiral Hackett."

The captain looked perplexed. What about?" he narrowed his eyes.

"That's between myself and the good admiral." she replied. "I have intel that he'd be extremely excited to hear."

"The admiral is a very busy man, Shepard. He can't just.. . "

"Indulge me, captain." she knew she was pushing her luck here. "Put a message through to the admiral saying you've just picked up Shepard from a Cerberus vessel along with an STG agent who have information on why the colonists are disappearing." she gestured to Mordin beside her, who gave a grin. "If he doesn't want to talk, fine. I'll go with you. Until then, I'm not answering any of your questions."

The captain looked at her. She looked back. They glared at each other. Eventually, he relented. He sighed and looked to one of his junior officers behind him.

"Alright, contact the admiral. Tell him Commander Shepard and an STG agent would like a word with him." The officer saluted and exited the hangar.

Shepard nodded the man. "Thank you."

He snorted, "We'll see. . ."

* * *

As it turns out, Hackett wasn't as busy as the captain claimed he was.

Shepard was waiting in the hangar with Mordin when the captain returned to them.

"Admiral hackett would like to speak with you." he said, through gritted teeth.

She nodded and offered her thanks. No need to salt the wound any further.

She and Mordin were 'escorted', for want of a better word, through the ship to the cruiser's comm room. When they arrived her guards left her and the professor in the comm room. No doubt keeping a close watch outside though.

She stepped up to the control panel. She checked to see if Mordin was beside her. She reached out and activated the panel. Moments later, an image of Admiral Hackett walked into view

"Admiral." she said and saluted.

"Shepard. You're supposed to be dead."

She smiled, "Sorry to disappoint you, admiral."

His expression didn't soften. "There were rumours, Shepard. . .Rumours that you were working for Cerberus." he paused. His face hardened. "I can see from your uniform they weren't unfounded."

Shepard looked at her uniform, at the offending orange and white logo sewn on her chest. "I'm using Cerberus for their resources. No one else is doing anything to help against the collectors!"

To her surprise Hackett nodded, "I've been getting reports on those attacks, Shepard. Reports of attacks on our colonies have increased. But don't lose the picture Shepard. Cerberus may be using you."

Shepard shook her head and keyed in her omnitool. The big picture?! Hundreds, thousands of colonists go missing and she's supposed to look at the big picture?

She all but hammered the controls on her omnitool "I'm sending you pictures of an attack that took place on Freedom's Progress." she tried hard to keep the irritation out of her voice, "I was there only minutes after the attack. Nothing left but a traumatised quarian."

"Copy that, hold on Shepard." Hackett went off screen for a second, he returned.

"Tech's just verified the images. No photo-manipulation." he paused, his brow furrowed, "This. . .this is good Shepard. With these images I'll be able to force this before the council."

"Thank you for taking this seriously." she replied. "Its about damn time."

She keyed in her omnitool again. "There's another matter that i need to talk to you."

"What is it?"

"I'm sending you images and data of people we picked up on a planet called Charles' Rock. they don't seem alliance types but I have to be sure they weren't something you were cooking up."

Hackett looked offscreen at the info that Shepard forwarded to him.

"I'm confused Shepard, who are these people?"

"I was hoping you could tell me. Like I said we picked them up on Charles' Rock. We've confirmed three of them are human." she saw his expression peak.

"Human?" he asked, sceptical.

"yes, sir. Three of them are human. I ask if there were any failed colony attempts after Arcturus."

Hackett shook his head. "No, nothing. This is very strange Shepard."

Shepard nodded, agreeing with the admiral.

"Where are they now?" he asked.

"On board, sir. I couldn't leave them stranded on that planet."

"Hmm. suppose not. What would be your immediate take on the matter Shepard?"

She hesitated, unsure of where to start. "I honestly don't know where they came from, sir. Or how they got here, and from speaking with them, I don't think they do either." she continued, "They do have several items of advanced tech i've never seen before. Powered armour and infantry grade laser weaponry, but other than that" she shrugged. "I'm at a loss of what to think of them."

Hackett considered this. "Keep an eye on them, Shepard. But otherwise they're not important, these colonists are the priority. If they want to share some of that tech, then by all means share it. Anything new we could learn from them would give us more bargaining chips with the council."

Shepard nodded. She had come to the same conclusion. Portable laser weaponry? The other races of the galaxy would kill for something like that. Humanity had already upturned the galactic way of war with our deployment of carriers, throwing centuries of military tradition on its head. What'd it be like if the alliance started fitting out their ships with laser weaponry? Weapons that fired with total precision and speed, completely negating kinetic barriers of even the strongest capital ships.

"Shepard, I know you don't think it, but we take our responsibilities to the outer colonies very seriously. If you can get any more information on these collectors. I want you to share it, the more data we can show the council, the more pressure they'll be under to do something."

He configured something out of sight, off screen from the hologram. "Take this data to Councillor Udina on the citadel. He'll bring the full force of humanity's legal department against the council to take action. He's a snake, but a snake that knows how to get things done."

Shepard nodded. "I'll do what I can, sir."

Hackett smiled. "maybe you're not with Cerberus." he paused. "It's good to see you up and about again Shepard"

She smiled. "Thank you admiral, it's good to be back."

"Hackett out."

The image disappeared and fizzed out. Shepard breathed out. "That was easier than I thought" she said, turning to Mordin. "Sorry for bringing you along for nothing."

The prof simled. "Think nothing of it. Good to get off ship from time to time. never toured alliance vessel before. Fascinating."

She stepped off the holo podium and walked up to him. "Time to get back to the Normandy." she said. Mordin nodded in agreement. They made their way to the exit, looking to inform their 'supervisors' they were ready to leave. . .

* * *

After returning, Shepard made straight for the cockpit. Joker was present in his usual position. He saw her approach and nodded.

"Hey Commander. We ready to get out of here, I mean, I like seeing the alliance and everything but they do have some very big guns and we're on a Cerberus frigate."

Shepard gave him a quizzical look,

"Nah? Just me then? after the collector ship I've gotten angsty about ships with bigger guns. . ."

Shepard looked out into space. Several vast alliance ships hung motionless, silently in space. Invisible save for the areas illuminated by their exterior spotlights. The closest, the cruiser, had massive stencilled letters GERMANIA displayed proudly across its hull.

Shepard always wondered why they did that. It's not like anybody's going to see it . . .

"Plot a course for the citadel, Joker. Let's pay a visit to our beloved councillor."

"Aye aye commander. Plotting course for the citadel. It'll be good to be back in civilised space."

Shepard sighed, "I hear that, Joker." She walked out of the cockpit as she felt the ship's drives spool up underneath her.

* * *

The Serpent's Nebula relay flashed in a blaze of light as the Normandy appeared in a crackle of arcing power. The engines wound down from their high pitched whine and started to power the Normandy in towards the centre of galactic government.

The citadel, built by those long forgotten, was the centre of politics, culture, and power in the known universe. Discovered 1500 years ago by the asari, it's been expanded and developed into the massive megalopolis that it is now.

Eisenmus stood in the observation window, looking at the station that everyone he'd met seemed to be in awe of, joining him was the Kelly woman. She'd been given leave by Shepard to try and learn as much as she could about. . .Eisenmus thought for a second, "their culture, history and ways of life." he snorted under his breath and shook his head. He'd allowed it on the basis that to refuse would've caused more trouble and annoyance than it would have been worth. Besides, all she'd done is ask the odd question about the imperium, anything a scholam juvie would know.

He looked at her now, she was gleaming.

"Takes my breath away every time I see it." she said, her eyes attached to the station in the viewscreen. She looked at them, "oh come on, cheer up! you're looking at the political centre of the galaxy. The largest space station ever constructed!"

That piqued Eisenmus' interest. At this distance size meant nothing, the absolute emptiness of space making a mockery of all scale.

"How large is it?" he asked. The file on the citadel he had read had skimmed over the dimensions.

She turned to him, "It's over 45 km long! Imagine!"

Eisenmus grunted. 45 kms. . . An impressive size to be sure, but hardly the largest structure he'd ever witnessed. He turned to the woman, taken over by a mischievous streak.

"You said you wanted to learn about where we came from?" he asked her.

"Yes, that's right." her eyes gleamed with that detestable optimism.

He stood up, "The Imperium is vast, Yeoman Chambers. And this vast empire requires starships to enforce and protect it. The greatest shipyards in the imperium encircle the planet you know now as Jupiter." he paused. He could clearly see her hanging on every word. She was no doubt recording this as well. Let them listen, he thought.

"The Jovian shipyards are the greatest structure aside from Luna the imperium has ever built. They are vast. The largest being well over 100 km in length. They form a sporadic belt around the gas giant that obscures its natural ring system." he grinned, "The finest ships in the imperium are constructed there." he remembered looking out a viewscreen, much like this one, onto the great shipyards of Jupiter. Millions of lights twinkled in a circle around the planet, forming a crown while swirling bands of roiling clouds travelled across the surface.

He blinked, and brought himself back. The yeoman was looking at him. She shook her head.

"Something like that. . . " she said, "The sheer logistics needed. . . " her smile returned. "That's something I would love to see someday."

Eisenmus looked at her, regarded her. Shook his head and sighed and turned his head back to the viewport.

The image had grown in the window. He could make out individual pinpricks of lights zooming from place to place. The criss-cross of what were obviously traffic flights or lanes on the inside of the great outer sections. He could feel the woman's stare on him.

"Did you mean it?" Kelly asked.

"Mean what?" the inquisitor replied.

"Does your imperium really have shipyards a hundred kms in length?"

He nodded. "All true. The Jovian ones are the largest, and produce countless ships annually for the navy and trade houses."

"See!" she continued, "Navy! Trade Houses! There's so much you haven't told me! When can I get you to tell me more!"

Eisenmus sighed inwardly, this wasn't going to go away. She would keep bugging them and bugging them until they relented. The odd question now and then wasn't so bad. But what she wanted was an interrogation, and Eisenmus didn't like giving too much away.

He looked to the citadel. It almost looked like something the tau would build if they got the chance. Smooth form lines and gently sloping curves. Inimical to the blessed machines of the Imperium.

He wasn't going to tell them about the navy. He decided that. They may be long removed from imperial space but they were not so far gone that he would divulge the workings of the Emperor's fleet.

But then again. . . he needed to give them something. To tide them over for a while. He thought, what would be safe to show them?

He turned to her "I'll get the magos to transfer some data about our history and culture to your system" he said. Throne knows how I'm going to get Hakkon to agree to that, he thought.

Her face brightened even more. "Great! That's great! I'll get the . . .oh, good afternoon commander!"

They turned to see Shepard enter the room.

"As you were, yeoman." she said and approached the viewscreen. She turned to Kelly, "Kelly could you wait outside for one minute?"

"Of course, commander." she said and left the commander alone with the imperial.

They watched the still view outside for a moment in silence.

"I've just been speaking with the higher ups." Shepard started, not taking her gaze away from the planet below.

"Yes?" Eisenmus replied.

"They're not sure what to make of you yet. I think they honestly don't really care."

"Better to be anonymous than to have the envy of the powerful."

"hmph. Ain't that the truth."

"What's to become of us, Shepard?" Eisenmus asked bluntly.

She paused, she had wondered this herself, "I don't know. At the moment you don't draw too much attention, but that won't last."

"Are you to detain us?"

"No." she replied. "And I wouldn't if they ordered me. I don't like some of your views, but a person's a person."

The response took him off guard. "I am grateful for you assistance these past few days. All my team are."

"but not the eldar?"

"I cannot vouch for them. The xenos have their own drives and motives."

"hmm" she replied and the two returned to staring at the window.

"Are you heading down there?" Eisenmus asked.

"Yeah. I have to meet with the human councillor, Udina." she saw his quizzical look, "He's . . our spokesperson to the other races."

A long pause descended over the two. Shepard looked over, his expression was one of concentration. He was thinking about something, she thought. Whatever it was, it was important.

"I want to go with you." Eisenmus said.

Her eyebrow raised, "Oh, Why?"

He extended a hand up to his viewpoint. From his perspective, the station was entirely held within his grasp.

"This… citadel. I have read many things about it. So called centre of the galaxy!" he scoffed. Appalled that humanity gave consent to be ordered around by xenos on this station. "If this is your capital, I would see it for myself."

She nodded, "nearly everyone wants to visit the citadel at some point in their lives." she looked at him. "Yeah, you're welcome to come along. Just leave your armour on the ship. It'll only draw attention we don't want."

He nodded. "I thought the same." he brought up his omnitool.

"Another thing. I know i push my chances here. But my Magos has compiled a list of items that we need if we're to remain with you for any length of time. As you may have guessed, we're not getting any extra supplies any time soon."

She nodded, "Send it to mine."

He looked at the thing, confused. He swiped a couple of times, which did nothing. "I apologize, I don't know how to do that."

Shepard grinned, "No problem. Let me help." she helped him with the transfer.

"I'll get this seen to" she more likely Kelly will, she thought.

Another alert beep on her omnitool "i should go." she said, "We should be about ten minutes out from the station. Be at the airlock then."

He nodded and Shepard left the inquisitor gazing out the viewscreen, at the ever increasing citadel station. His mind wandered to the untold millions of xenos that swarmed about it.

Their numbers seemed to impress themselves upon him, upon the observation room. There was no-one else there. Deathly quiet. Only the hum of the ship's engines and his own half visible reflection in the viewscreen reminded him that the room wasn't open to the empty void beyond the glass.

For the first time, in this room, Eisenmus felt how truly alone they were in this place.

How far away from His light they were.

He lowered his head as the space station consumed the entire field of view outside.

"Emperor guide me." he whispered to the empty room.


	6. The Citadel

Meh, Sunday/Saturday . . . One day late's not too bad I say :P

Keep up the excellent reviews people, I do consider the potential merits of each one so the more that's put into each review only helps the story more!

As for those complaining about grammar, you have every right to! Every time I do what I think is a thorough check and every time more slips through. You have my sincere apologizes for this as I know myself bad grammar can jar a good story terribly. I'm working through my previous chapters to try and fix as many as I can find.

Anyway. . . .

* * *

**Chapter Six: The Citadel**

Vast clamps extended from the station's docking area. The Normandy slowed its approach to a crawl as it closed in the final few metres. Slowly, no more than a mile an hour, a glacial pace for a ship that size. It hovered over the magnetic clamps before the attraction took hold.

They crashed into the side of the vessel with a thud. Once the control systems were satisfied a boarding tunnel extended from the station. It joined with the Normandy with a hiss of pressurization and air seals.

The station bound crew were ordered to meet at the airlock area, just behind the cockpit. Eisenmus and Hayt were the first to arrive. They stood nervously, not knowing what to expect on this xenos infested station. The stormtrooper looked to the inquisitor,

"Are you sure this is the right course of action, my lord?" he asked for the thirtieth time. Eisenmus sighed and nodded.

"We will not be going to have dialogue with the xenos Hayt. I ask enough of you already." It would do well to put the man's mind at ease. "Watch for treachery and observe. We don't know anything about this place, this centre of power. Here, apparently, the balance of power in the galaxy rests. I would know why."

Hayt nodded, accepting, he knew his master had a good reason for going into a xeno held station.

Speaking of xenos. . .

The one called Garrus was the next to arrive at the airlock. He wore his blue armour. The two watched him approach.

He saw their stares and nodded back to them. He looked at the stormtrooper. "Suppose this is your first time on the citadel?"

Hayt nodded back. "Yes, it is."

It waited, maybe for something more before shrugging and leaning up against a bulkhead.

The next to arrive was the bulbous eyed one. Unlike its predecessor, it walked up to the group and began animatedly chatting away.

"Newcomers joining us on citadel? Interesting. Fascinating. First true exposure to citadel culture. Reactions expected, may catalogue, useful for future interspecies contact." he looked at the two. "Reasonably sure will be able to adapt." he smiled at them. Eisenmus merely nodded back. He would acknowledge it, but that didn't mean he had to take pleasure in its presence.

It continued on its incessant narrative. "Still, yourselves probably used to large metropolitan area. Similarities likely with own cities, also differences. Will have to ask you on that later." it looked at them, as if expecting an answer. Eisenmus nodded again. That had seemed to satisfy it the previous time.

It turned to the other alien, the mandibled one. "Excited to return to citadel after time on Omega?" he asked it.

Garrus shuffled his shoulders. "Ehh It'll be good to go somewhere not smelling in filth. . but nothings changed since the attack with Sovereign, still the broken bureaucratic shit as ever. Still, be good to see the Praesidium again."

Mordin nodded. "Never been to Praesidium myself. Told its well worth it."

"It's alright, we won't be staying long though." a new voice from behind the two of them. Shepard walked up. Mordin parted to make room for her.

"Hello Shepard." he smiled. " Pleased to be returning to the citadel?"

She grunted, "yeah, if under better circumstances."

"We good to go? Everybody's here." Garrus asked.

She shook her head. "Not yet. There's one more."

"Who?" Garrus asked.

"That would be me." Glaedara answered and approached them from the CIC. The manipled one shrugged.

"Ah! Excellent!" Mordin exclaimed. "Good to have you with us, Glaedara. Your first time off the ship, should be very exciting!"

She responded in much the same way as the inquisitor. She nodded her head to the salarian.

Shepard waved him down. "Yeah that's enough" she said. "The lady says she wants to come along, I don't want you pestering her."

She shot a look at Eisenmus, who was looking at the eldar. What is the deal with these two? she wondered. She dismissed it in view of the mission.

"Alright team? We good to go?"

A chorus of yes and ayes returned to her. She nodded.

"Alright, Joker open the door!" she yelled up to the cockpit.

"No problem commander, have fun out there." The light above the airlock door turned green and the bulkhead revolved and opened. In front of them was the long corridor of the docking tunnel. Shepard began to walk along it. The group followed.

Eisenmus made his way to be level with the farseer. "Since when were you on this expedition?" He hadn't been notified of this beforehand.

She looked down at him. "I could ask you the same thing."

"I'm here for knowledge. What are you here for?" Eisenmus swore he could see the flicker of amusement in her features

"Much the same reason. . . this mission takes us a distance away from your trinket. The further I am from it. The clearer I can see."

Eisenmus digested this, he nodded. "I'm still not letting you out of my sight," he said. She shrugged.

"Think what you will, monkeigh. We both need to find out what's going on. . ." she looked directly at him. "And that would go a lot smoother if you ceased your bickering."

He riled, stared back. Their stares locked, neither one backing down.

"You two alright back there?" came a voice from further up the walkway. Garrus had called back to them. The others were further on, continuing their march to the station.

That broke the stalemate, they broke off.

"Yes." Eisenmus replied and resumed walking along the ramp.

Glaedara nodded to the manipled alien, who nodded back and turned.

Glaedara sighed. _I told you that I will command you if I want him dispatched, not before! she thought._

She felt her ranger beside her look at her. Eleiyra had snuck up on the Inquisitor from the back under cloak. She had her weapon drawn and held her blade a short distance from the monkeigh's back.

_He was clearly threatening you! came the thought reply. Only give the command and I. . ._

_You are to do nothing without my direct approval. Continue with your scouting. Stay in proximity. I will call for you if I need you._

Frustration, hesitation. . . she felt the thoughts drift across the surface of the ranger's mind.

_Yes, farseer,_ came the reply. She felt her companion's invisible, psychic presence move further up the ramp. She followed.

* * *

Shepard and Mordin were the first to the other end of the docking path. They arrived in a wide, low room that ran parallel to the docked ships along the station's interior. She turned and looked out onto the citadel proper. A wall of glass behind her showed the citadel opposite in all its glory. Millions of lights shimmered off in the distance. However, being this close, the Normandy took up most of her view.

Seeing it now from the outside, it is truly a majestic ship, Shepard thought.

They'd arrived in one of the large docking wings of the citadel, close to the tip of one of its great arms. To her left and right she saw other spacecraft, similarly docked with the station.

She and mordin waited at the top of the ramp for those at the back to catch up. The stragglers caught up with the rest of the group and continued on.

They approached the entrance to the hangar. Eisenmus saw what looked to him like a checkpoint up ahead. It was staffed with aliens, with a single human at the what looked like a reception desk.

The group approached the checkpoint. Eisenmus saw a monstrous beast standing at one of the counters. A massive bulky quadruped without a head to speak of, merely a face on its front.

It droned on in a monotonous voice to the alien behind the counter.

He tore his gaze away from the monstrosity as a security guard waved through the group. The alien had a weapon. Eisenmus had grudgingly, and with great persuasion, left his weapon on the ship.

Such a fool. He thought to himself.

Back at the head of the group, Shepard continued on through the next door.

This room was small, compared to the wide open hangar that they exited. To the left and right of him, the walls had horizontal strips of reflective glass. In front of them, there was an alien, turian they called them, standing at what looked like a control console.

He spoke,"Ok, If you could just step up please." he sounded bored, though Eisenmus couldn't tell. The guard waved the group forward. They stepped forward in the room.

The turian configured the control panel. His face changed. he configured it again. then again.

"Something wrong?" Shepard asked.

"Sorry madam." he said. His attention reverting back to the panel. "This is showing unrecognised citizens in your group."

She smiled, "I was declared KIA two years ago."

"Yes ma'am. But its not just you, his eyes darted to the back of the group. The two men at the back don't have IDs. He looked to the left. "And I'm afraid the scanner's displaying an anomaly for the lady at the back. It doesn't know what she is ma'am."

Shepard slumped, there was no way of getting through this without explaining.

"The woman at the back. . . " she began. She looked at Glaedara, "She's from a new species. You wouldn't have her profile in the database."

The guard froze. His fingers stopped typing on the holopad. He looked up at the woman. Glaedara looked back at him.

"I have to ask you to remain here while I contact my superior." he said. This was way over his pay grade. He flicked some controls on his omnitool.

Shepard waved theatrically in response and the guard disappeared behind the far door. The group was left alone in the room.

Shepard sighed. "Security's been beefed up since I was last here." she said to Garrus.

"You don't know the half of it. Since Sovereign's attack. The council's been blaming everyone they can about a 'geth infiltration of citadel systems"' his digits made human like air quotes.

"Don't suppose anyone's told them it wasn't the geth that infiltrated the citadel?" she replied.

"Oh, many have. They just don't listen. Much easier to blame it on something tangible. Something more convenient."

She looked round to the farseer. " I'm sorry about all this. This is what I was talking about when I was talking to you earlier."

She nodded back to her. Shepard had talked with her about this earlier, whenever Glaedara had mentioned she wanted to go with her to the citadel.

"It doesn't concern me." she said, her voice having lost none of the sweet musical tones since she first arrived. "This was to happen sooner or later. My presence would not have went unnoticed indefinitely."

The far door opened and the guard returned with a stocky, middle aged human.

"Aw-right, what's this I hear about a new species?" he approached them, hands on hips.

Shepard turned, she was presumably spokesperson now. "I'm sorry, who are you?"

"Captain Bailey at your service. I've been told by Haron here, " he gestured with his thumb, "that there's some unknown species knocking on my door?"

"That's right," Shepard gestured to Glaedara. "This one's from a race called the eldar. I was hoping we'd be allowed to go through.

The man's hand came up to his face. He shook his head. "Sorry, can't allow that. Protocol is strict on first contact. Hell, I didn't even think we'd have to use it , but rules are rules. I'm sorry, I have to ask you to wait here."

This was unwelcome, Shepard thought. If they stayed here they'd only attract attention. And she had a mission to be getting on with.

If subtly fails. . .she thought, there's always the head on approach, she thought. She levelled a stare at the man.

"Captain Bailey," she began, "do you know who I am?"

"Ma'am?"

"I asked you a question."

"You're commander Shepard ma'am. First human spectre."

She grinned wryly. "Good, I did not come back from the dead to sit and wait for the council to shift their pampered asses. I need to get to the alliance embassy. This is a matter of importance."

The captain brought his arms up, "Shepard, listen I'd like to help, but. ."

Mordin joined in,

"Shepard is a member of the alliance military, even if KIA, enlistment from military never revoked. Against citadel law to restrict her movement to sovereign citadel embassy."

The man rubbed his chin more. Shepard could almost hear the gears turning. "Shit. Right, you can come through Shepard, but I apologize but we have to keep the woman at the back here."

"Also unlawful." Mordin voiced again, "Eldar female known as Glaedara seeks asylum with alliance embassy. Under citadel Act 22-3 she is entitled to be escorted to embassy by any official officer or military personnel of sovereign nation."

At this cue, Shepard put up her hand.

"That would be me." Thank god for that crazy salarian, she thought.

The poor captain struggled for an answer. The finer points of citadel law were beyond him.

"But. . I can't just let you. . ."

"Put message through to council." Mordin continued, " If ordered to detain us then you may carry out your orders. Until then, we must be allowed to pass."

His face strained as he strained to think of a way out of the legal bind. He relented.

"Fine. I'm letting you through. But expect to see me in 20 mins with my boot up your ass." He swiped the controls of his omnitool and the door behind them opened into the citadel beyond. The group stepped through.

"Oh and by the way" he called out after them. A devilish grin took his face as he spoke to the eldar. "On behalf of the council welcome to the goddamn citadel!"

* * *

Eleiyra had seen the male, human newcomer arrive through the door and slipped through unnoticed when he had entered. The door had shut behind her, but she still felt the farseer through the door.

Good, she thought, straightening up and looking around her. The farseer had given her instruction to find out as much about this place and people as possible.

Difficult, but not impossible, in a space station.

She glided out into a large open courtyard on this side of the door, rifle ready. She was stood on a wide promenade balcony overlooking lower terraces down below. She spied a great may of their grav-cars and more stalls down below.

She looked up. Over her, a great glass roof curved overhead, the other side was space. She saw the great curvature of the station. The far sections of it far off in the distance. She followed them to their point of origin. They all converged on a vast ring to Eleiyra's left, she could only see the top half, the bottom half obscured by the buildings.

The size. . . she breathed in. She frowned. The scale didn't feel the same through her helmet.

She wandered around the immediate area. She observed the inhabitants going about their business, all oblivious.

It was fantastic to be out of the ship again! Granted, she was merely in another, bigger ship but here there was space. There was cavernous rooms, hangars, open areas. Her gaze caught a twinkle of light moving in front of the far arms of the station. With a thought, her helmet zoomed in to the area in question. She saw it was a ship. Long and angular.

Strange, she thought. This place reminded her of the craftworld. So many years ago. Sure, it was bulky and a little soulless.

A pang of sorrow wanted to rear up inside her. She suppressed it as she always did. Nevertheless. . .she touched a ceiling support near to her.

Nothing. Nothing rose within the structure to sing back to her. To give her comfort or guidance. Soulless. . .how true that remark was.

_Eleiyra, we are moving, we are not in danger. Remain in proximity._

The command was issued to her from Glaedara. Her attention shot back to her. She focussed.

Her instruments told her the farseer was being moved towards the door. A second later the door opened and the group entered through.

Eleiyra scanned the streets around her. Busy. She needed somewhere emptier. Up to now she'd stayed to one side, keeping out of the busy pedestrian traffic that went about the station. She silently sprinted towards a nearby support and ran up it, she clasped it for a second and propelled herself off with a push of her feet. Spinning, she landed on a garish, flashing sign of a nearby building. This would do, she thought. The signs above the alien stalls were all roughly the same level.

She took note of their position below and began to tail them, silently jumping from one adjacent sign to the other.

Glaedara had insisted to wear her armour on this excursion.. Shepard had advised against it, but she'd been adamant.

Shepard looked at her now, she'd stripped back nearly all the decoration that Shepard had discovered her in. Her backpack, shoulder pads, cloak and heavy wrist greaves were gone. Here, she wore the slim matte blue armour plates that Shepard had found her in. Around her waist was tied a thick white midband and a lower robe the same colour as her armour obscured her legs. She had forgone her helmet. With much reluctance. . .

She had practically spared everything but the very basic aspects on her person. But what aspects they were! Each section of her armour was as a work of art. Compared to the others around her, she looked like royalty.

Looking now, Shepard realised how much of a failure her efforts to avoid attention were. The woman had been on the ship for several days now, Shepard had gotten used to seeing the armour. Seeing it now in comparison with the factory stamped sets of the citadel attendants and guards was almost laughable.

She took amusement in passing a trio of asari, clad in what Shepard understood to be the height of fashion at the time. Some slim, modest dresses of understated colours and minimal patterns. Though she had to admit, done right, the dresses drew attention to the face and complimented the beauty of the wearer magnificently.

Glaedara made them look like peasant's robes. Shepard saw their heads turn and follow this new arrival, this queen that had just landed in their midst. What conversation the asari had been having was immediately forgotten.

She sighed, she could see more heads turning. Not just asari but humans as well. Just until the air taxi, she thought. Then we can be straight to the Presidium and away from overly curious eyes. It was only short walk from the docks to a taxi terminal. The group passed a series of advertising boards, flashing with their products.

"Commander Shepard, enter the password and receive a free gift!" a voice projected.

She halted, turned.

"You hear that?" she asked the others.

"Yeah," Garrus replied. "Where the hell did that come from?"

"Face flashed on advertising board." Mordin said, he pointed to one of them. "Human, female. Didn't recognise her."

They looked at it. It currently displayed a rotating picture of a new drink.

The image changed abruptly. The image of a woman's face shrouded in a grey hood flashed on the screen.

"Got problems with collectors?" try Kasumi credit services!"

"What the?. ." Garrus looked around suspiciously for anything.

"It's alright Garrus," Shepard brought up her arm to reassure him. "I know what this is about."

Looking at the advert board, she cautiously approached it. The face flashed again before disappearing.

"Please tell me your password Commander Shepard."

Shepard folded her arms. "You know who I am Kasumi, I'm not here to play games."

"I heard you were hardcore Shepard, but i thought you'd be up for some intrigue. Kasumi Goto at your service. . .but apparently you already knew that."

"Wait.. . you know her?" Garrus asked. She nodded.

"She's one of the people we're recruiting to help us."

If a turian could bluster, Garrus did it. "Uh huh, any chance of letting us know this before hand?"

"Secrecy was paramount at the time," she said. She turned back to the ad board. "Has Cerberus filed you in on the mission?"

The image giggled, "Honestly I'm shocked they didn't come to see me sooner. My fault for being so hard to find I guess."

Shepard glanced behind her, several people had their heads turned towards this new conversation with a billboard.

"Do you mind if I transfer this to my omnitool, this isn't exactly the most subtle way of talking."

"Already done, Shepard." the voice came from her omnitool. She looked at it. There was a picture of the woman on the holo display. She winked. Her head disappeared from the billboard in front of her.

"Just for your information, Shepard, I'm very good."

Shepard couldn't deny that, though she resented her omnitool being hacked. "What's with the password and the sneaking around, you in trouble or something?"

"I'm the best thief in the business, though not the most famous. Need to watch my step to keep it that way. I also needed to make sure all of this was legit - now I know, you're the real commander Shepard."

Shepard looked at her chronometer. That officer Bailey had no doubt informed the council of their new visitor. They needed to hurry if they had any chance of getting to the alliance embassy unmolested.

"Glad for the vote of confidence. We're in a hurry here, Kasumi. I have to go. I'll discuss the details with you shortly."

* * *

They arrived at a taxi terminal and Shepard hailed an air taxi. The standard ones wouldn't accommodate all her squad so instead of splitting the team up she called a heavier taxi.

These larger models, being more scarce, took longer to arrive. She looked at the display on the terminal. She looked at a little measurement on the right hand side of the screen.

Airtaxi (capacity 6) found! ETA: 5m 11s

The timer gradually ticked down. She sighed and brought up Kasumi on the omnitool, now was a good a time as any.

She saw on her main home screen a new icon had appeared. It looked like a hood, three guesses who that was, she thought as she tapped it.

A familiar face appeared on the screen.

"Shepard?" her voice took on a theatrical surprise, "I know you said very soon but I didn't think you meant this soon?"

"Don't get comfortable, I've got five minutes 'till my transport arrives." she paused, "you haven't told me what brought you to work with Cerberus."

"That's. . . a bit of a long story. Short version, they were looking for me, so I trailed them to find out why." she grinned. "Turns out they were looking for someones to join you on important mission, and were offering a considerable signing bonus. I had a thing I needed help with, so I made a deal. And here we are."

Shepard shut her eyes. Why? Why must every member of her team need an errand? Couldn't the illusive man sorted these out beforehand?

"I assume this deal is something I should know about?"

"Yeah I guess it slipped their minds. I'm looking for my old partner's greybox. A man named Donovan Hock took it, and I'm planning to get it back."

"What, you planning a heist or something?" Shepard joked. The woman grinned back.

"Not here, Shepard. You'll get a briefing when the time comes. I need to nail down the details anyway. I've taken the liberty of getting you some evening wear, though. You'll want to look presentable."

Evening wear? she thought. In the distance she could see her air taxi break off from the main traffic lane. "If that's what Cerberus promised you, we'll get it done."

"It'll be fun, and if we're lucky, you won't even have to draw your gun. See you on the ship, Shepard!" with that the call to the woman cut out.

The members of the group turned to see their vehicle slow to a halt in front of them. It looked like the smaller four seater vehicles, only much bulkier. The canopy automatically lifted to reveal three rows of seats, two abreast.

They embarked and the taxi scooted away from the terminal and off towards the Presidium.

The air car gracefully followed the routes towards the Presidium, the great ring in the centre of the station. Millions of similar cars scurried around them, crisscrossing the station in lines of air traffic.

In the car, Shepard sat next to Garrus in the front seats.

"Shepard, can I ask, why did you bring her? " he gestured to Glaedara sitting in the back seat, currently looking out the window. "You must've known about the scanners, or even the looks she'd get." Garrus asked

Inwardly, she agreed with the turian.

"One, because she asked. And two, call it . .politics." she replied. She pointed to her chestplate, at the Cerberus logo. "A great many people think I've thrown in my lot with Cerberus, abandoned the citadel for human interests. If I bring a new alien species with me, one no ones seen before, that's got to count for something."

A wry grin appeared on the turian's face. "Clever Shepard, just one catch. A race of only two. How're going to explain that?"

"I'm not, I'm just going to say she's an undiscovered race and leave it at that."

"You really think the they'll buy that?"

"Maybe, maybe not, doesn't matter. I need to talk to Udina, if the council's busy with her, they're not pestering me."

Garrus nodded along then grunted, "politics, keep me out of it."

"Tough, I'm assigning you to accompany her where-ever she goes, congratulations Garrus,

"What? Why?"

"To show Cerberus can also work with turians," the grin hadn't left her face. "politics, Garrus."

He grunted. "I didn't realise you had such a calculating bastard inside you Shepard."

She smiled back. "Says the one with the constant stick up his ass."

"That stick is called a backbone Shepard, if you're going to start a career in politics, I don't expect you to understand."

Shepard scoffed, "Ha! I'll remember that."

* * *

The aircar descended in one of the Presidium landing pads. Past those reserved for the public, this one was in the midst of the Presidium itself, only a stone's throw away from the council tower itself.

They stepped out into the vast landscaped space. They stood on a raised landing structure built into the dwellings that lined the Presidium ring. The curvature of the station peeled up on both sides of the landing pad. The interior green fields and landscaped river meandering up and up in a circle.

To the newcomers, this was quite a shock.

The imperials looked up at the structure around them. The low buildings around the edges of the walls and the landscaped gardens along the exterior of the ring.

It almost looked peaceful.

Their illusions were shattered as they looked over the barriers of the landing field. Below them, hundreds, maybe thousands of xenos walked along the walkways and stood conversing on the balconies of the buildings.

They stopped admiring the architecture.

Eisenmus turned to Hayt "Be on your guard. This is a place far from His light."

Hayt nodded. He could see the soldier in his servant's eyes, making a mental note of any nearby aliens.

Eisenmus had wanted to come, to see the capital for himself. He told himself this was a scouting mission, a chance to know his enemy.

Was it the correct choice?

* * *

After all the other crew disembarked, another figure, unseen by everyone else hopped off the top of the car.

Despite being invisible, Eleiyra took cover behind the mass of the car as the others made their way towards a nearby building. The farseer was with them.

The ride here had not been pleasant, but she would do as the farseer commanded.

Unseen, unheard, she paced over the edge of the landing platform and hopped off onto the ground below. She landed with a quiet thud on the grass.

Now, she'd begin to find out what she could about their new hosts.

* * *

Shepard sat with Udina in the alliance embassy. She grasped a glass of . . actually she didn't know what it was. Some drink they serve around here a lot apparently. Udina had spoken highly of it.

Currently though, his mood was not so jubilant.

He clasped his hands together in front of him, they were brought up to his mouth. He spoke through tight lips.

"Shepard. . . You're not a politician so I don't expect you to know these things. But what the HELL were you thinking?"

Shepard's expression remained confused. It had remained like that since a short while into the conversation?'

"We had to get here Udina. They wouldn't have let us through the gate if we hadn't . " she waved with her hand, "bent the truth a little."

"Bent the truth? Fabricating made up laws? What was it, act 22-3? you know there's no such thing! Ohh. . .they'll love this. Humans bending the rules for their own use, holding secret collaborations with unknown species. . ."

"I'll explain it to them if I must. But I came here to give you this." she detached a tiny portable hard drive from her omni tool and handed it to Udina. Less than an inch square, he took it carefully from Shepard.

"What's this?" he asked. Curiosity getting the better of him. He inserted it into his own omnitool.

"Information from admiral Hackett, and myself. . " she explained as he viewed the data. An image of Freedom's Progress materialised in the space between them. he hit play and the sequence of vid feeds captured by poor Veetor played themselves out.

His eyes widened, "But those. . ." Udina began, "Those are actual. . "

"Collectors" she smiled, "Yes, got the bastards on camera for once." She could see something resembling a smile creeping into his features.

"Now. . we mustn't get too hasty here. They'll claim forgery, misinforma. . . "

"Hackett's already ran it by his people. He says they're clean. There's also back up stories from the quarians involved. Their names are included in the list in the documents."

He closed the vid feed and brought up the list of potential witnesses.

He grunted. "Hmph, they won't like a testimony from quarians, but this may have undone the damage you caused in getting in here." He shook his hand to emphasize, "But with this we can force a compromise. Finally get some god damn citadel support for our colonies!"

Shepard smiled back. She lifted her drink, "Glad to be of use, "

Udina was about to say something then his omnitool blinked. "Yes, what is it?"

A worried female voice came through from the speaker, "Councillor, I'm sorry but the council want to have a word with you."

"Shit!" Udina swore. "Tell them I'll be right there."

"Yes, sir." the transmission stopped.

"Shit! See what they're like. Nothing happens here that they don't know about." He got up from his seat. "you're coming to explain this, you're part of this too."

Shepard nodded. "Good. I can finally start talking to them about these bloody collector attacks."

Udina grimaced. "Don't push your luck, this isn't a house call to see if we're doing well. They want something. The only other times the council's called to meet me in my embassy, someone got fired."

They left the room and entered the comm suite. Shepard noted the walls were lined with some material. Probably reduce sound and transmissions she thought.

In the centre was the communication platform. Udina stood on it. Anderson arrived.

"Ahh Anderson. Thanks for coming to see this."

Anderson and Shepard nodded to each other. "It's good to see you Anderson," she extended her hand, he shook it firmly, "you get roped in too?" she asked him.

"I'm only here for support, Shepard. I let the politicians get their hands dirty, and it's good to see you too."

"Alright, quiet you two." Udina growled. "The council's ready to meet us." a flashing light on the terminal signaled a holocall on standby.

Udina activated the switch, three images of the citadel council appeared before them. Sparatus, Tevos and Velern, the turian, asari and salarian councillors respectively, materialised before them.

His voice, tone and speed changed completely. Gone was the pessimistic cynical man Shepard had just talked to moments ago. Now she saw the councillor Udina, human ambassador to the citadel. He looked to the other councillors, with a smiling face Shepard had rarely seen before,

"Councillors, to what do I owe the visit."

"Councillor Udina, it's come to our attention that you are harbouring a member of an unknown species in council space. You are asked to explain your actions." Tevos said. Her face stern.

Sparatus beside her practically fumed, "This was an unequivocal breach of rules and protocol!" the turian ambassador exclaimed. He pointed at Udina's chest. "you endanger the lives of everyone on this station by your actions! We demand you hand over the alien to the rightful custody of the citadel security forces."

Velern waved his fellow councillor down, "Please Sparatus," he turned to Udina, " While Sparatus' words are a little. . .blunt. We would request that you hand over the visitor to the proper authorities. Surely you must see the reason for this?"

At this point Shepard could hold herself back no longer. She sat listening to these councillors talk about Glaedara like a piece of meat. She stepped forward.

"Councillors!" she said. They turned to look at her. Udina's eyes stared daggers at her..

"Shepperrrd. . ." he growled under his breath, warning her to stay back. She ignored him.

"Neither the alliance or Udina here is responsible for this. I am." her hands went to her hips, "I found Glaedara stranded on a world in the terminus systems and I rescued her. She's been with me since."

Sparatus looked at her. "You make contact with an unknown species and you don't think to inform the citadel council?" he asked incredulously. "We have first contacts planned for decades before we initiate it. And you .. ." he shook his head. he turned to his fellow councillors, his hand waving in her direction, "This is the human way of doing things. Blunder into the problem with no thought or plan."

She turned on the turian councillor. "Here was no plan because it was completely unexpected. She just appeared, stranded on the planet with no way off. How would the council prepare for that?"

Sparatus scowled. Udina stepped back in.

"What Shepard is . . trying to say, is that now that we are sure of the well being of this newcomer, we can start to open a dialogue with her."

"Only if she wants." Shepard interjected.

"I'm sorry?" Udina asked.

"Only if she wants." Shepard repeated. "I've spent time with her and know that she's a very reclusive, private person. It may hold true of the rest of her species. I won't allow a meeting with her if she doesn't want any part in the council."

The turian looked like he was about to explode, "Now look here. We are being very lenient here. What you've done is a violation of one of the fundamental rules concerning extra-species relations. There will be repercussions of this. How many and how large, is up to you."

"I apologize, but I must agree with my colleague. Any unknown species must be identified and studied by the council. This is citadel law." Tevos said

Udina inter placed himself again between the opposing parties.

"And Shepard is fully aware of the ramifications." he said, as diplomatically as he could manage.

"Is she?" the turian voiced, "Lately we've been getting reports of Shepard working for the Cerberus terrorists. I for one would question the neutrality of one involved in their ranks."

That smug ass! Shepard thought. "Listen! I'm only working for them because no-one else is giving me any help to stop the collectors! Not you, not the citadel not the alliance," she shot a look at Anderson, who lowered his head. "You want me back? You want me to work for you again? Give me what I need!"

The turian grunted, "The collectors are a myth, Shepard. Stories told by mothers to frighten their children into good behavior."

"Show them!" she practically barked at Udina. He started.

"Fellow councillors, what I'm sending to your consoles is a vid-feed taken on one of OUR colonies in the terminus systems. Shepard was able to retrieve it. IT's authenticity has been confirmed by both myself and admiral Hackett."

The councillors were silent for a minute while they reviewed the video. Udina glanced over to Shepard. The pair of them waited anxiously.

Valern was the first to respond. "Hmm. this is. . . enlightening, Udina. Of course we will want our own technicians to verify its authenticity.

"Of course," he replied. Worm, he thought, he's merely playing for time.

"As will mine." Tevos said. She looked back up. "This is powerful evidence of collector involvement. This will be discussed at a later date." A short glance to given to Sparatus to her right, who remained silent. "But this new species is the reason we contacted you. Do I have your agreement in this matter?"

"No!" Shepard exclaimed. "I'll not have the women dragged through an investigation she doesn't want to be a part of!" Shit! she thought too late

"Women?" the turian picked up. "You mean you've contacted more of them?"

She sighed, "There's only the two of them. Glaedara, who came with me and Eleiyra, she's back on the ship." she levelled her gaze at the councillors. "They're their names, by the way, since nobody's asked yet.

She knew what they were going to do before they did it, but she'd no choice, the cat was out of the bag now. She saw the triumphant, malicious grin spread across the turian's face and knew what was coming next.

"Commander Shepard, consider your vessel, the . ." . .he looked down, "SR-2 Normandy. Under citadel quarantine for the presence of unknown lifeforms on board. It is to remain under quarantine until such time the council decides the incumbents do not pose a threat to citadel security."

"I oppose that!" Udina barked at the councillor. "Shepard is investigating the disappearance of colonies! you put at risk all the humans in the terminus systems by keeping her here."

"I Second the proposal," the salarian councillor said.

The salarian looked at Shepard. "I second the proposal. I sympathize with your plight, I do. But these unknowns risk everyone on the citadel. I'm sorry."

Shepard shook her head. The turian councillor was beaming at her.

"We'd like to get this over and done with as soon as possible. We do apologize for the inconvenience, Shepard."

"Apologize to the people who are out there, getting slaughtered," she pointed, emphasizing her point.

"We'd like to set up a dialogue with these newcomers as soon as possible." Tevos continued, "Would it be possible if. . . "

Shepard wasn't listening. She shook her head, turned and just left the chamber, leaving the surprised councillors and their petty, petty games behind her.

* * *

The roof was sloped beneath her.. much like the rest of the place. Smooth angled surfaces, slowly rotating. She looked up and saw clouds floating in the vast ring. The sky was fake, she knew this. But it didn't stop her from looking.

Looking, but not seen.

She was perched on the roof of one of the structures lining the area. Below her was a collection of buildings and plazas that wound their way around a meandering river that curved upward with the curvature of the ring.

The Presidium. That's what the natives called this place. Some great centre of government for their nations. The centre of power and wealth.

She looked at it again, the elegant lines, the rolling landscaped gardens below. Although somewhat amateurish and crude, it still reminded her of the maiden gardens back on the craftworld. She paused in reflection at the memory, she had always meant to return there some time, to gaze once more unto the pool of remembrance and regret.

She lowered her head, now that chance looked slimmer and slimmer with each passing day.

The farseer was working on a plan. She always had a plan. She consoled herself with her conclusion and resumed her watch over the Presidium grounds.

It was highly strange. these aliens, monkeigh, they all tolerated each other's presence here. They walked together, talked together, in her unseen walks through the citadel she even saw them laugh together.

It was so different to what she was used to.

She had heard of the elders talk once. Not Glaedara, she was relatively a junior member of the elders. But those that have since returned to the wraithbone. They talked of the ancient eldar empire, of its heights and triumphs, but also it's diversity.

For eons, the eldar reigned supreme in the galaxy. Physics and time was theirs to command. And command they did. The core worlds grew in splendor and magnificence, and the highest points of advancement were reached. They also told of the countless lesser races that hobbled along in the galaxy under them. Small nations, of races and species the eldar thought had promise and potential. They were left alone, and the eldar watched. They watched them grow, discover, expand, and fight, as children do.

The fall had destroyed all that, and the monkeigh extinguished what was left. She imagined a galaxy of countless tiny twinkling lights, suddenly weakened by the great catastrophe, then snuffed out by the hand of barbaric man.

She frowned. Mankind's most lasting achievement on the galaxy, was death.

She looked at a walkway underneath her position. By rights, she should have been completely obvious, perched on the edge of a 2 story building, but the cloaking technology woven into her cloak made her all but invisible to these people.

Two of the blue aliens, who looked remarkably like eldar, she noted. They walked with a different alien with the bulbous eyes and a human. They seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Here was different though, she thought. The humans here aren't like the imperium. They talk with aliens, they don't worship that weakling seer of an emperor on their blighted homeworld. She'd observed many of them since arriving. They offer greeting to aliens, they share their food with them and even. . . she shook her head, recalling a human and one of the blue ones she'd stumbled across while traversing the rooftops in this area.. . .did. . other things with them.

She didn't know what to think of that. The idea of that with one of the blue ones. . .she shivered. They did have a certain. . . . grace not found in the other races, but still they were brutish and uncouth compared to her and the farseer.

She checked her communications. Still no word from the farseer. She wasn't in trouble, she'd have issued a call for help if that were the case, but wherever the others had taken her was taking a lot of time.

She looked over to her right, to the adjacent building. She judged the distance and vaulted over there. She recovered on the roof. This new perch gave a much clearer view of a landscaped water feature. A decorative fountain in the centre of a wide pool. A wide promenade surrounded the fountain, populated by the inhabitants of this station. Mostly the ones with the mandibled jaws, she noted with curiosity.

Looking at the still water of the pool, she couldn't help herself. She holstered her long rifle and flipped down from the roof. She landed softly on her feet. She checked the immediate area if anyone noticed her, her cloak was still active and she had landed with little noise, but she still made sure.

Satisfied of no unwanted attention she straightened up and paced over to the pool. The inhabitants walked about her, telling stories and laughing to each other. Their voices piped into her ear by the awkwardly fitting translator in her ear. The Shepard woman had insisted to get the 'translator implant' or whatever she called it, but both eldar had adamantly refused. As a compromise, she said they could wear these earpieces that would translate for them. She said it wasn't as good as the real thing, but it'd help them understand the other races.

Eleiyra was getting on just fine, though it fitted oddly, as it wasn't accustomed to her ear structure. However it was better than sticking any monkeigh technology into her. Her mind flicked to the hulking abomination that was the human technician. The thought repulsed her.

Across the promenade she meandered through the passing lines of people and creatures. All of them unaware of her presence. Silently, she drifted among them, a century of training had resulted in her footsteps making no noise on the paved surface.

The pool grew closer, more details in the surface water becoming apparent as she neared it. The ripples, the small waves, the random motion of the currents. She sighed, it was just like the one on the craftworld, it lacked the psychic resonance of the original. Embedded in the wraithbone structure of the craftworld, the original sang with the regrets and memories of those who now resided in its bones.

She reached the pool and looked down. There was no reflection, her cloak was active. The ripples through, the ripples and waves were every bit the same. Her face softened.

She looked around. many of the people had left the plaza, the only others were a couple of the bird like ones on a bench facing away from her. They hadn't moved since she had arrived here.

She could risk it!

She deactivated the cloaking field and pulled off her helmet. The hood dropped down with it. her dark black hair draped over her shoulders. She blinked her eyes at the strange lighting in this place. The helmet had compensated for it until now.

She took a breath, then another.

Somewhat fresh. A surprise, she thought, her own experiences with monkeigh installations was that of chemicals and stale air. Her gaze was drawn back to the pool in front of her. She sat on the side of the pool and looked in. She saw a messy, tired face staring back at her. How long was it since she saw herself?

Her arm reached out and trailed the water's surface, half expecting, half hoping, to hear the ancient whispers of the craftworld's elders again. All her hand did was trail a series of ripples. They spread out far into the still water.

She smiled. She watched the ripples move across the water. For once she. .

Something's wrong!

Her instincts took over, honed to sense trouble, she snapped out of her daydream and brought her head up. She scanned her surroundings.

Over the other edge of the plaza she saw one of the bird ones talk to another of his kind. He was pointing at her. She studied the other one. He wore a heavy suit of blue and grey armour, she'd seen many like him on the station so far.

He was armed.

He nodded to the finger pointing one and began to make his way over to her.

She shot up, she'd lingered too long. The armed bird saw her sudden movement and started running. He was yelling.

She swiftly donned her helmet and drew up her hood. Her hair still flowed out of the back, no need for airseal yet, she thought. She began moving and activated the cloak. She disappeared from all sight. The guard, who'd been closing on her, halted and drew his weapon. He shouted all about him, but by then she was gone. Up a nearby wall and onto another path. She kept moving, gaining height and distance between the guard.

She had to be more careful, she thought.

* * *

In a quiet back room of the alliance embassy, Glaedara sat cross legged on the floor.

It was a small room, but that didn't bother her. It was quiet and without disruptions.

She sat and concentrated. She opened her mind's eye to the warp once again. She felt her spirit detach from her body and lift up and over her. She made a mental probe into the rooms around, to flex her movements.

She looked to her defences. Untouched. This still worried her. With something as strong as the monkeigh trinket there should be a storm of daemons swirling round the source, desperate to get a portion of the power.

Yet nothing. She waited for a minute, her spirit still in the void, waiting for anything, any probe from daemonic eyes.

Still nothing.

Unsatisfied she turned her attention back to the trinket. Her idea of getting distance from it was working. It was definitely weaker than it had been on the ship, some 40 kms away.

Despite the distance she could still feel the waves of psychic energy pouring out from it. Thankfully it no longer acted as a blinding lighthouse to her abilities any more, she felt she could see more beyond the bright light it extruded.

She concentrated. Sifted the light from her vision. It took effort, but nowhere near the amount she had to before.

There! She was through!

The deafening silence engulfed her again. This time, she was ready. She'd anticipated it.

It also wasn't completely silent.

She looked around and saw minute ripples in the surface of the warp, made clear now with the much less blinding light of the trinket. She looked back, towards the light, she felt the warp smooth out the closer she got to the epicentre.

Strange. She thought.

Putting that aside, she looked outwards. Towards the space further from the light.

Cautious for anything untoward she sifted through the waves of power. Looking for anything that may help her. She felt elements of her mindsight come back to her, the ripples carrying precious portions of the paths that lay ahead.

perversely, her mind began to feel at ease in this treacherous place. The scraps of sight that greeted her on the edge of her consciousness felt familiar, something to grasp to.

Yet scraps they were. The pathetic little ripples of the warp not revealing anything more than glimpses of half formed images. She couldn't get anything useful out of them.

Frustrated, she failed to realise the door to her room had opened. Still outside her body, a voice boomed through her mind.

"XENOS?". . .

She startled. She crashed back into her body and drew herself up. Combat pose. She looked round. her room. The door. The inquisitor was standing in it. Weapons? Unarmed. Others? No. Her knees felt like they were going to give. She felt a drop of blood run down over her top lip.

The inquisitor stood still in the doorway, he paused.

"Farseer?" he questioned. A look of confusion crossed his face.

Glaedara relaxed and brought a hand up to her nose. It came back red.

Foolish! she thought. She'd been reckless, hadn't kept a mind on her surroundings. If her body had been destroyed while her spirit was in the warp. . . .

She closed her eyes and tried to flash it from her mind. That was something that didn't bear thinking about.

"Farseer?" the monkeigh repeated to her, "What happened?"

She stood up straight. She'd have to find something for the bleeding.

"Nothing." she replied. She looked round for something to use on her nose.

The monkeigh looked at her for a moment. He guesses, she thought, annoyed more by her humiliation to this human than the droplets forming on her upper lip.

"I came to ask have you had any developments in seeing the warp?" he asked. She wished he would take his eyes away from her nose.

"Not many." she spied a blanket on a table to one side. It would do, she thought and brought it up to stem the bleed. She gestured for him to enter, which he did. The door hissed shut behind him.

"My earlier observations were incomplete." she didn't want to use the word wrong in front of the man. "The warp is not absolutely quiet as I initially thought, rather your trinket is drowning out any minor ebbs or flows. I have sensed faint ripples in the spaces further from the trinket."

The man nodded along, understanding.

"I'm told of a similar phenomenon with the astronomican. Psykers are unable to use their full powers in proximity to the holy choir."

Glaedara pulled the blanket away from her face. It seemed it was slowing down.

"Was that all?" she asked.

"For the time being," he replied and made to leave. The door swung open for him. He paused momentarily. He looked back to the farseer.

"Tilt your head back. I hear it helps." he left with another hiss of the door closing.

* * *

This place didn't sit well with Hayt. None of it did.

As the inquisitor had commanded, he sat, he watched, watched them all.

They were everywhere.

The entire station, infested with xenos! He'd read somewhere there was twenty million of them on this station alone. It turned his stomach just thinking about the number.

He sat in one of the 'embassy's' private rooms. Comfortable chairs were scattered here and there with a low table . A servant had brought out a jug of water and filled his drink. Then the servant had retreated away.

The drink remained untouched.

He looked out the window, to 'outside'. He saw the landscape rise up above either side of him. The embassies and council chambers were stationed in the inner ring of the citadel, the gravity generated by the slowly rotating form.

The door was open, leading out to the outer balcony. Beyond that was a wall and (mercifully) human guards stationed at the entrances to the compound. He was stunned at how the humans of this world were able to work, travel and live alongside these xenos.

He got up and walked over to the doorway, out and onto the balcony. He leaned on the balustrade. What was he to do? This place was a den of heresy. It deserved to be blown from the sky!

And how would you do that? a voice at the back of his head pestered him. The navy with their holy armaments would manage it. But three isolated imperials hadn't a hope in hell.

He saw the central river, meandering up and up through the middle of the ground level. From this distance he could see interwoven pathways and walkways through the landscaped gardens of this place of nobles.

No, he reminded, not nobles. These are xenos. They don't deserve such a term.

He looked back into the embassy. Still no sign of the inquisitor. He'd gone off to talk to the Eldar woman again. He'd been gone a while.

The Shepard woman had disappeared as well. She had said something about the citadel council. Hayt had heard enough here to know that they were the dominant authority in this place. Again, his mind balked at the idea of humans taking orders from an alien government.

He looked once again out over the landscaped grounds. The command from his lord rang through him again.

'Learn what you can, Hayt. To know the alien is to defeat him. See all you can, but be cautious. This is a xenos held station after all.

He decided to make an excursion.

Hayt descended to the base level, approached the guards and displayed his permit. They allowed him to pass. He continued descending the stepped, landscaped levels until he arrived next to the meandering river in the centre. He stood on the bank and looked out over it. The water flowed slowly to his right. He looked up to his right, further 'down' the river. Why did it have a current when it flowed in a circle?

He shook the thought from his head. He continued on the paved path that led around and sometimes over the path of the river. He walked, keeping an eye on his surroundings. Who knows what these xenos might try now that he was alone?

He received strange looks from the people he passed. Many of them were clothed in the same, plain dresses or garments that the people of this station seemed to prefer. He must have stood out like a sore thumb in his carapace armour.

He shrugged. Let the xenos think what they like. They kept their distance from him, and that was fine by him. He carried on. He was currently walking along a promenade raised up from the edge of the river bank. He saw a lower path down below him that ran alongside the river.

Off in the distance he saw a large plaza and what looked like a statue in the centre. As he neared he saw it was one of the large armoured ones that looked like they had a fish mouth. What did they call them, Krogan? The figures around it gave it some scale, at least half a dozen metres tall.

He paused to look at it, typical xenos arrogance, he thought. Another one of the blue aliens passed by him. He felt the creature's stare on his back as she passed. She moved on, and Hayt relaxed. His muscles and mind had tensed as the xeno passed behind him. He didn't trust them, it was heretical to place your trust in aliens and heretics.

He descended to the lower path and walked up to the statue. Cast in some metallic material, he didn't know what, it towered over the plaza. Several other people were there, mostly the blue skinned aliens. He ignored them and looked at it.

He shook his head and walked away, he saw another statue further up the river. He couldn't make it out from this distance, but it was clear it didn't have the same scale as the first. . .

He began to make his way towards it, as he did so. Details began to become clearer.

Is that? No, he thought to himself, surely not! His walk speed increased as he moved nearer and nearer. As more and more details revealed themselves, his speed increased. Soon he was in a full sprint to the statue. The statue that couldn't be there.

Passers by stared at him as he sprinted by them, his armour clanking and clinking furiously as his feet pounded the paved path. He powered down the last ceremonial steps to the statue. He skidded to a halt at the edge of the plaza. It was similar to the last one, a flat empty area bordered by landscaped gardens and water features.

He looked up at it. It can't be. . .

He didn't know what to make of it, what to think. How? . . .he made the sign of the aquila.

Eisenmus! his desperate mind clutched. The inquisitor will know what to do!

His mind, half inactive from confusion, seized this singular thought with envious greed and propelled him back up the steps and back towards the human embassy. he could see it up in the distance, partly up the far curve of the ground.

He messaged the comm system he'd been given, "My lord, this is Hayt. Please respond." he prayed its spirits would forgive his haste.

Seconds ticked by, but thankfully the inquisitor responded,

"What is it Hayt? Are you in trouble?"

Still running, "Hayt replied, "No, my lord, but there's something you need to see. The statue shouldn't be there!"

"What statue?" he asked.

"The statue in the . . the . . ." he forgot what this place was called by the natives. "Outside the embassy, there's a river, with statues. I'm returning to the embassy. Follow me!"

"Hold on! Throne, what are you talking about, Hayt?"

"There's a statue here, in this place, of the Primarch Sanguinius!"

* * *

Eisenmus wasted no time in getting ready. He was outside the embassy as Hayt was nearing it. He saw the sprinting stormtrooper and rushed over to meet him.

"Where?" he hurriedly asked.

"This way!" he pointed, "Past the xenos statue!"

Their journey back was slower than Hayt's return. Eisenmus didn't have the physical stamina to keep up with the stormtrooper. He had to stop several times to give the aging Inquisitor time to catch up.

They arrived at the statue. As they entered the plaza perimeter, Eisenmus stood, mouth agape. He saw what his servant meant.

"Dear Emperor." he breathed, "How on Terra did that get here?!"

"I don't know, lord!" Hayt replied, choosing to answer the otherwise rhetorical question. "I found it here while exploring this river area."

Eisenmus still had his eyes on the statue in front of him. It was the Primarch, no doubt. Though his face was obscured, the angel wings and blood drop motif of the Blood Angels on the ornate astartes armour. There was no room for doubt. He was knelt on one knee, with his head down, grasping a two handed sword which he held in front of him, point touching the ground.

It was exquisite!

He looked round in haste, he locked on a nearby xeno asari. He descended on her.

"You xeno!" he pointed, he was well beyond xenophobia, he needed an answer. "What is this?" he pointed to the statue.

The hapless asari drew back in fright. The inquisitor met her with a piercing stare. He was in no mood for anything else.

"T-That's the Mourning Titan." she stuttered.

"Where's it from?" he barked.

"N-no one knows, it predates even the asari on the citadel. Many think it's prothean. "

Eisenmus wasn't paying attention anymore. He was looking back at the statue.

An imperial primarch, in the capital of a xenos nation. . .

The thought repulsed him.

He needed answers, but to get that, he'd need help.

He keyed in the communication device in his ear, "Commander Shepard? This is Eisenmus. We need your assistance. . . "

* * *

By the time Hakkon was en route, they were starting to draw attention to themselves. He'd sent for the Magos to make use of his equipment, the tech priest was basically a walking lab. He knew that only Hakkon's tools were tough enough to cut imperial adamantium, which Eisenmus suspected the statue was made of. Marble or stone wouldn't have lasted as long as this thing had remained here. He grew with pride that despite the statue being here for emperor knows how long, it was still as crisp and pristine as what it would have been back in the imperium.

There were perhaps a dozen onlookers now, no doubt attracted by the activity around the statue. Shepard had lodged a request to seal off the immediate area around the statue, which he'd been immensely grateful for. It had worked to keep the onlookers back from the plaza. But had resulted in attracting more passers by as came to see what the fuss was about.

Eisenmus wished they'd stop just staring at them. Some of them held out their miniature communication devices and held them in front of their faces. He didn't know what that meant.

Then Hakkon arrived.

There was no disguising him. As a Magos of the Omnissiah, his form was glaringly obvious even from a distance. his bulk towered over the other xenos, only the ones called Krogan seemed to match him in mass.

Looks of horror and morbid curiosity accompanied as he strode through the perimeter. This struck him as odd. Yes, some of what the mechanicus did to themselves was unsavoury, but Hakkon here was a more conservative member when it came to appearance and flesh. He'd told Eisenmus that he _still_ possessed perhaps half a dozen of his original organs.

The crowd parted for the magos as he strode up to the inquisitor. His vision moved up to the statue. His mechadendrites twitched.

"It is indeed true then, lord." he wheezed.

The inquisitor nodded. "It is, Hakkon. I need your instruments to take a sample of the material. If it's adamantium, you're the only one i know of that would cut it."

The magos nodded. "I will carry out your will, lord." He left him and walked out to the statue.

From out of his robe appeared what looked like a miniature plasma cutter. It ignited and began burning away at the foot of the statue. The metal underneath glowed red, then white under the heat. One of his mechadendrites reconfigured itself to include what looked like a drill, and began screeching away at the white hot metal. The noise was tremendous.

The inquisitor watched this for a while, until he heard a voice over the cutting.

"C-Sec's moving in to give us more space!" he looked round. Shepard stood beside him, she was looking at the magos as well.

"Has he found anything yet?"

He shook his head. "No, he's just taking a small sample of the statue's material. If it's adamantium, then there's no question it came from the Imperium."

The screeching took an unusually high pitch, before settling down again.

"Adamantium?" Shepard asked, "Never heard of it."

"It's. . .a material we use for certain things in the imperium." he explained. "The hardest substance we know of."

"So. . you make it into a statue?"

He smiled. "You miss the obvious symbolism present in this particular statue." He looked at her, then the statue. "I mean no offence, you couldn't have known the reason."

He looked up to the helmet, "It's forged in the likeness of a man called Sanguinius. Primarch of the Blood Angels." he saw her blank look.

"It's difficult to explain. The term commander may suffice here for Primarch. While the Blood Angels were an. . ." he tried to be vague, " elite military force in the Imperium. You understand?"

She nodded, this was new. He'd never openly talked about his homeland before, she thought. She glanced at the statue.

Must be bringing back memories, she concluded. The inquisitor continued,

"This man was one of the greatest heroes of the Imperium. His love and loyalty to his father, the Emperor was unbreakable, even in death. I suspect that's the reason for the material. To make the material body as unbreakable as the man's spirit."

"Must have been a real hero, to have a statue commissioned that large." she remarked.

The Inquisitor chuckled. "In all honestly, I suspected the artisan wanted a life size impression."

She grunted, "Now you're just egging me on. No-one's that large!"

Eisenmus hesitated for a minute. Unsure whether he should continue talking. He looked back at the statue. he decided he could reliquish a little more.

He grinned "I'm not joking. All the Primarch's were genetically enhanced to be the best of humanity." he outstretched his arms towards the statue. "You're looking at the one of the finest specimens of humanity ever to exist, Shepard."

Shaking her head, "I don't believe it!"

"What you believe and what is do not care for each other."

"What do the wings represent?" she asked

"They don't." he replied. "Sanguinius was unusual among the Primarchs for having a biological set of angel-white wings."

"Now you're just taking the piss."

The look of utter death she got back from the man contradicted her opinion.

"I'm sorry if I caused offence." she said finally after a minute of silence from the man.

The man glanced over, "It's alright. you couldn't have known."

The screeching stopped. The magos's tools retracted from their work. He left the statue and headed for the inquisitor.

"I can confirm it is adamantium, lord. I am unable to break it. My sensors detect alloys and materials the mechanicus have been unable to replicate for millennia. I date it's forging relatively early in Imperial records, lord."

"You can't break it?" Shepard asked.

The magos' head swivelled on a single axis to view her. "The processes and techniques involved in the forging of the statue's adamantium structure have since been lost. I cannot penetrate the outer layer."

"As unbreakable as his spirit. . ." the inquisitor breathed.

"Lord?"

"Nothing, Hakkon." He paused, stared at the statue. Was this something that fell through time as we did? he thought. Could there be a link?

"Would the other two know anything about this?" Shepard asked.

The eldar! Why hadn't he thought of that before!

. . but giving xenos access to this statue of one of the Emperor's sons. . . he grimaced.

"Maybe. . " he replied. he didn't want to get them involved. he turned back to his magos. "Continue your work. See if you can find anything else."

"Your will be done, lord." he bowed his head and journeyed back to the statue.

The inquisitor looked at the statue. What did it mean that it was here?. . .

* * *

Far removed from what was going on on the citadel, on a planet far removed from civilization, a vessel toiled onwards through the twilight clouds of a gas giant. Hidden from all outside view, the shadow broker continued in his world.

Arrayed before him was a bank of screens, each with statistics and information of various operations around the galaxy. He processed and compiled all the information. He was the master of information and deception int he galaxy.

Suddenly a screen to his right pinged with an alert. From the citadel Presidium, this was strange. He brought it forward to his attention. Off from one of the minor screens onto his main work monitor.

The citadel. The Mourning Titan.. .interesting.

Curiosity piqued him as he watched the vid feed, taken from a hidden camera installed a decade ago at the scene. A strange gaggle of people surrounded the statue.

"Very interesting . . . " he thought as he zoomed in on the figures of a woman in strangely ornate armour and a another of a hulking mass of tools and machinery.


End file.
